


Hidden Secrets

by Lbliss21490



Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale
Genre: Alternate Ending, Anal Play, BDSM, Bondage, Dreams, F/M, Fluff and Smut, Gun Violence, Kagome/Inuyasha - Freeform, Kagome/OC - Freeform, Light Bondage, Master/Slave, Oral Sex, Romance, Sex, Sex Toys, Sexual Fantasy, Sexual Tension, Sexual Violence, Supernatural Elements, Threesome - F/M/M, University
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-02
Updated: 2018-06-18
Packaged: 2019-03-25 20:59:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 30
Words: 118,944
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13842921
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lbliss21490/pseuds/Lbliss21490
Summary: **COMPLETED**Alternate ending to the series-  It's been five years since the well closed.  Kagome, who is now attending Tokyo University, says goodbye to Inuyasha and moves away, heartbroken that she can no longer be with her hanyou.  However, as she takes a history class, she becomes enamored with Yashiro Nagasaki, a young history professor who reminds her strangely of Inuyasha.  As time goes on, she wonders what happened to Inuyasha as she succumbs to her attraction to the professor...Little does she know, he has secrets of his own, and Kagome must decide if she will share the part of her life where she loved a hanyou.Eventual smut, planning on a lot of smut.  Also maybe some time travel.  We'll see.  Please read and comment!





	1. Meeting the Professor

Kagome stared down at the well, her body unwilling to move. 

 

It had been five years since she had last seen Inuyasha.  They had shared a kiss, the well reappeared in her time and when she ran to her family, Inuyasha disappeared.  The well never worked again.

 

But still, every three days, she would return to the well, stare down, and wish on the moon and stars that she could see Inuyasha one last time.  She searched the shrine’s historical documents to see if she could find out what happened to Inuyasha, or if there were any artifacts left for her by him to give her clues, but there was nothing. 

 

More often than not she would talk to the well as if Inuyasha were there, telling him of her day, of how she missed him.  Even of how she had loved him and how she would do anything to feel his arms around her once more.  Often times her tears would fall into the well, and she hoped that something would change.  She just wanted to be with Inuyasha once more.

 

However, this particular day, would be the last time in quite a while that she could visit the well.  She was moving away to college, attending Tokyo University.  She decided to study history due to her time of living in Feudal Japan.  She learned about youkai and mythos extensively. She said all of this to the well, tears forming in her eyes.  She wanted to see him so badly, tell him about school, talk of life and love.

 

But in her heart, she knew that it wasn’t going to happen.

 

She let the tears fall from her eyes into the well, biding her past goodbye for the last time, wishing Inuyasha out of her mind so she could move forward in life.  She wanted her heart to be free to give to someone in the modern world, but she felt that she would never find anyone as worthy as Inuyasha. 

 

She left the well house and went back inside to her bedroom, where she packed the final few belongings and left the shrine, ready to start her newest adventure: university life.

 

-*-*-

 

The bell rang and Kagome was running late to her lecture.  It was her first day of university and she was trying to find her Feudal History lecture.  She got lost on the vast campus of Tokyo University, wishing that she would have saved her map.  She finally got directions a few minutes before the class was to start, only to find out she was on the other side of campus.  She was running as fast as her legs could carry her, hoping she wouldn’t be too late.  When the bell rang, she was still quite a ways.  About five minutes after the bell had rung, she stood panting outside the lecture hall.  She stepped in, trying to sneak in the back, only to have all eyes turn on her.

 

 

The instructor was young, far younger than she was expecting.  He stood tall, close to six feet, with long black hair pulled into a high pony tail, cascading down to his waist.  His hair was fairly straight, but full.  He had two long wisps of hair on either side of his face, falling to his shoulders, and roughly-cut bangs adorning his forehead.  His eyes were a deep, sapphire blue hidden behind clunky, thick rimmed glasses.  He wore a white button down shirt that was loose, with the top two buttons undone.  He wore gray slacks that were a little too long, and black leather loafers.   From what Kagome could see, he had an athlete’s physique.  His pants alone were snug against his muscular legs, and she wondered if it was a trick, or if his shoulders were really that broad.  Kagome was staring, and when she looked up, he made eye contact with Kagome, his eyebrows raised in silent question.

 

“Can I help you?” he asked her, his voice having a harsh edge to it.  Kagome’s jaw dropped.  His voice sounded so much like…

 

“Uhh, is this History of the Sengoku Jidai?” she asked quickly, snapping her mouth shut.

 

“Yes, but you’re late.  Take your seat, Miss…?”

 

“Higurashi.  Kagome Higurashi,” she said, quickly finding her way to her seat.

 

 

His eyes followed her to her seat, and she grew dark red with embarrassment.  She pulled out her notebook and pen and he continued, writing important dates and names that the professor referenced to.  His shirt stretched across his back, displaying that there wasn’t a trick to the eye regarding how broad his shoulders were.  She looked down to see he had a narrow waist and long legs, which appeared muscular in the snug-fitting trousers. 

 

Kagome tried not to stare, trying to focus on his voice reciting the syllabus.  A paper a week on different figures of the Sengoku Jidai.  He had a great emphasis on Oda Nobunaga in the reunification of Japan, as well as an emphasis on the mythos and lore. 

 

“You should understand that the mainstay of Japanese culture is the belief in demons and gods.  In order to understand the motives behind these men, you must understand their beliefs and what they felt their deities as well as what they felt under threat by demons.  Many men claimed to have been tricked or possessed, and we must find the facts within the myths,” the professor continued to say. 

 

Kagome took notes on this, finding that his passion for the mythos and lore was fascinating.  She knew that demons had existed, she had seen them with her own eyes, but people in the modern era didn’t have her luxury of having spent nearly a year in the Feudal Age.  She continued to take notes as he went on explaining the methodology of the different deities.  When the bell rang at the end of the hour, she started to pack up her bag when she heard him call for her.

 

“Higurashi-san, please speak to me after class,” he said, sitting at the desk at the front of the room.

 

She gulped, wondering if she was in trouble.  The last student left and she was standing alone before the professor.  He removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes.

 

“Professor, I’m sorry that I was late---,” she began to say, but he cut her off.

 

“I don’t tolerate tardiness in my class, and I do not accept absences, excused or otherwise.  If you’re late to my class again, I’ll drop you from the class.  Do I make myself understood?” he asked her sternly.

 

She felt her heart sink to her feet.  He made eye contact with her, causing a large lump to form in her throat.  She wanted to yell back at him, but she was thoroughly embarrassed at the situation. 

 

“Yes professor.  I won’t be late again.”

 

He gave her half a smile, and looked down at his papers.  “Very well.  I’ll see you next class.”

 

Kagome left the class, embarrassed and angry at how he had treated her.  How dare he!  He couldn’t be more than a few years older than her and he had the gall to treat her like some petulant child.   She had thought at first he was attractive, but the way he treated her was so…

 

_Just like Inuyasha first treated me._

 

She shook her head.  He was nothing like Inuyasha.  She ran to her next class, determined not to be late to any more classes.

 

-*-*-

 

The first month passed without incident.  She got A’s on all of her papers, the history professor, whose name was Yashiro Nagasaki, never spoke to her directly again.  He would actually go out of his way to ignore her when her hand was raised.  She would know the answer and would try to answer, but he would move over to another student, often times if their hand wasn’t raised and put an unwanted student on the spot.  He always gave her top marks on her papers and tests, but he would avoid eye contact with her and would avoid her at every opportunity.

 

 

She suspected that he disliked her from the get go, having dared being late to his class.  However, she was getting a solid A and couldn’t complain. 

 

 

She had recently started working at a used book store near the university, with a small coffee shop attached.  The owner would allow her to do homework in the down time, and since there were so many history books, she would help herself to looking at Japanese history while she had free time.  She enjoyed how quiet the bookstore was, only hearing the sounds of footsteps and pages turning.  The smell of musty books was something she thoroughly enjoyed, finding utter peace while reading.  To her, it was a paradise. 

 

 

On her break, she went to get a cup of coffee and felt someone stand rather close behind her.  The person had put her on edge, making her nervous.  She finally turned around to stare into familiar sapphire eyes.

 

 

“P-professor!” Kagome squeaked, stepping back.  He raised his eyebrows at her nonchalantly.

 

 

“Higurashi-san, what are you doing here?”

 

 

“Oh, I work at the bookstore.  I’m on my break so I thought I’d get a cup of coffee,” she said, avoiding his gaze.  He gave her a warm smile---the first time she saw him really smile. 

 

 

“I come here quite often, though I haven’t seen you here before.  Did you just start?”

 

 

She looked at him and there was no crassness in his voice, no aggression.  Honestly, his voice sounded much smoother than usual.  In class he had a gruffness to him of no-nonsense, but here, his voice was soft, his eyes seemed warm, and he seemed to have genuine interest to talk to her.

 

 

“Yes, I started last week.  It’s been nice so far,” she said, wondering what she could possibly talk to him about.

 

 

He smiled at her again, starting to make her uneasy with how nice he was being.  He motioned behind her, showing that she was next in line and the barista was getting a tad irritated with the two people chatting in line. 

 

 

“Oh, I’ll have a cold press coffee please,” she said.  Professor Nagasaki stepped right behind her, invading her space.

 

 

“And I’ll have the same.”

 

 

She turned her face to look at him and he pulled out a few bills, handing them to the barista.

 

 

“Professor, I can pay for my own coffee,” she told him, curious as to why he was suddenly being so kind to her.

 

 

“Nonsense, I know you’re trying to save your money right now, and money is tight for college students.  Let me treat you this one time.”

 

 

She was genuinely surprised at his kindness.  He was acting as if he actually liked her…

 

 

The barista handed Kagome and the professor their coffee and he walked over to a table.  “Care to join me?”

 

 

She sat across from the professor, staring at her coffee and watching him quietly as he took a sip. 

 

 

“I have to ask professor… why do you never call on me in class?” she asked him.  He gave her a questioning look and let out a soft smile.

 

 

“You’re a bit of an overachiever, if I do say so.  Something I admire,” he told her as she gave him a dark look.  “I strive to have my students think for themselves more, and while you’re usually spot on, you have a very… unique frame of mind when regarding history.  Something I find truly fascinating, and I appreciate, hence why you get high scores on everything.”

 

 

She smiled, taking a sip of her coffee.  She was about to speak when he continued speaking.

 

 

“But you speak of demons as if they were real beings, and I can’t have a history class revolve around the idea that demons were actually real, thinking beings.  They’re mythology.  We can’t mix up mythology and history, as difficult as it is, especially with the Sengoku Jidai.  So it’s nothing personal, I love your standpoint on history, but I fear it may become disruptive to the rest of the class.”

 

 

“Disruptive?!” she spat, standing up.  “How dare you think that my opinion is wrong!  Isn’t college supposed to talk about opening your mind to impossible things?!”

 

 

He watched her and a faint smile touched his lips.  She wanted to throw her coffee in his face, and her face turned bright red in anger.  “I’m sorry professor, but if that’s how you feel, you should just fail me.”

 

 

He began to laugh.  His shoulders shaking and he grabbed his stomach as he laughed particularly hard, infuriating her all the more.  “Oh Higurashi-san, you’ve got it all wrong.  You’re probably the brightest student I’ve ever had, and you will go far, I don’t want you intimidating the other students.  That’s all.  I promise it’s not personal.”

 

 

She began to calm down.  She wondered if he truly thought that she was the brightest in the class. 

 

 

“Besides, a lot of the boys stare at you, I don’t want them to be enchanted by your lovely voice,” he said with a wink.  He finished his coffee and stood up.  “I’ll see you again soon, Higurashi-san.”

 

 

He left the coffee shop with Kagome staring after him, feeling more conflicted than ever before.  She had been determined to hate him, but just now he was so charming.  She blushed a little, wondering if what he said was true.  Were the boys in class truly staring at her?  Was her voice enchanting?

 

 

She shook her head violently, wishing the thoughts of him out of her head.  He was being far more charming to her than before, and far kinder than he had in the past.  The first month in class with him was proving to be rather difficult due to his nature of being matter-of-fact.  He had an air of aloofness that she detested in most people, but just now…

 

 

_He was being so charming, and kind, and thoughtful…_

 

 

“Ugh, snap out of it Kagome!” she told herself, finishing her coffee.  She went back to work stocking books and dusting, and for the first time in years, a silver haired hanyou didn’t weigh heavy on her mind….

 

 

-*-*-

 

Another month passed, and Kagome has come to expect to see the professor every Thursday afternoon at the bookstore.  He always showed up when she was going on break, he always bought her coffee, he always invited her to sit with him, and he would always leave with a book in hand.  It became a sort of tradition between them. 

 

 

Often times they would talk about history.  Slowly though, he began to ask more personal questions.  Kagome didn’t mind, he felt like he was becoming her friend, but he was starting to call on her in class, challenging her to think more for herself.  She appreciated his brazenness in class, but outside of class he was a totally different person.

 

 

On the fourth Thursday he came in to the coffee shop, Kagome had already gotten their coffee and was sitting by herself, reading a book about demon mythology.  He sat down and frowned, giving her a dark look.

 

 

“What’s wrong?” she asked him, genuine concern touching her voice. 

 

 

“I don’t want you wasting your money buying me coffee,” he told her, his voice flat.

 

 

She let out a soft laugh.  “But you always buy my coffee, I think it’s only fair that I get yours once in a while.”

 

 

His frown didn’t leave his face, he just sat in silence staring her down as she went back to reading.

 

 

“Kagome-san,” he began, fidgeting his hands a bit.  “I was wondering… would you like to get dinner when you’re done with work?”

 

 

Kagome stopped reading, her eyes growing wide.  She looked up at him and saw that he looked rather nervous.

 

 

“Like… a date?” she replied.

 

 

He nodded.

 

 

She bit her lip, wondering how to respond.  She was beginning to really enjoy his company, but he was her professor. 

 

 

“Isn’t that against some sort of rule?” she asked him. 

 

 

He shrugged.  “I find rules are just suggestions.  I like you, Kagome, I’d like to get to know you better.”

 

 

She thought hard about it, wondering if it was such a good idea.  He was good looking enough.  She looked at him, really looked at him.  He was wearing a dark blue shirt that matched his eyes.  His hair was pulled up in a high pony tail, like usual.  His thick rimmed glasses sat largely on his face, with the normal wisps of hair falling on either side.  His bangs fell into his eyes a little bit, and his shoulders looked broad as they always did.  His face was lightly tanned, probably from spending time walking the botanical gardens.  His gaze was intense, putting her on edge.  She had come to the conclusion that he did resemble Inuyasha quite a bit, something that always unnerved her.

 

 

In some ways, she couldn’t tell the two apart.  They had a similar gruffness to them, they physically looked quite a bit alike, but that’s where the resemblance stopped.  Inuyasha was impatient and coarse, whereas the professor in front of her was very smooth, refined, and polite.  He kept his thoughts mostly to himself, allowing her to talk and speak her mind.  He showed genuine interest in her whenever he spoke, something Inuyasha had lacked.

 

 

“I’m sorry, but I don’t think it’s a good idea for me to date a professor,” she decided.  “But we can be friends.”

 

 

He looked disappointed for a moment, but shrugged it off.  “Very well.  It was worth a shot.  But I still expect these Thursdays for coffee,” he told her, raising his coffee to his lips.  “I’ve come to thoroughly enjoy my afternoons with you.  I get to gush about history outside of a classroom---you have no idea how enjoyable that is.”


	2. First Date Jitters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kagome works up the nerve to ask out Yashiro, to have a first date with him.

Kagome’s Thursday afternoon routine continued, but after Yashiro had asked her out on a date, she had been unable to look him in the eye.  She was sure he noticed, as he went back to talking only of history, something she realized he was vitally passionate about.  He seemed to keep his distance from her personal questions, never asking her of anything other than her interpretation of history.  She had enjoyed talking about history with him, but it was beginning to become tiresome.  She had other interests besides history, but she still enjoyed his company, so she continued the new tradition.

 

The week of finals, Kagome took the week off of work.  She had an English exam, a history exam, and a calculus test.  She had already gotten one class done and out of the way, but her calculus test was going to be troublesome, as well as her English class.  Her history class was the class she was doing best in, and she figured that she wouldn’t struggle too much in history.  Yashiro had pretty much told her what the test was going to be on, so she had a bit of a heads up for the assignment.  She was going to focus on the lore of demons affecting the strength of the soldiers.

 

On the Thursday of finals, she holed up in the library to concentrate on studying.  She was going through math problems, in deep concentration, when someone sat two seats down from her.  She ignored them, concentrating on the problems in front of her.  The problems were getting more difficult the more she did them, her body feeling tense from how little she moved.  After an hour, the person two seats down didn’t move, and she felt herself growing stiff and sore from sitting upright for so long.  She bit her lip and moved closer to the problems, determined to figure out a solution.

 

“You know, it’s good to take breaks when you study,” she heard a familiar voice tell her.  She felt a shiver go up her spine at his soft voice.  She turned to see Yashiro sitting beside her with a history book out.  He was always reading history.

 

“I get in the zone when I study,” she muttered, stretching her arms.  She felt her shirt lift to show her midriff, but she didn’t really care at this point.  She needed to stretch out a bit. 

 

“I can see that.  How’s the math going?” he asked her softly.  She lowered her arms and sighed.

 

“It’s confusing me a bit, but I should pass the class,” she reluctantly said.  She really wanted to have a perfect grade point average, but her math class was likely to prevent that.  He stood up and moved over to her, looking at her math problems.

 

“From what I can see, you have nothing to worry about.”

 

She let herself relax a little.  She leaned back and realized that he was leaning over her, his hands supporting himself on the back of the chair.  She looked up at him and his eyes met hers as he gave her a warm smile.

 

“So tomorrow is my last class with you,” she said softly. 

 

He nodded.  She didn’t miss the disappointment on his face.  She had grown to really like him in the past few months.  He had a pull to him that was irresistible.  He was passionate, considerate, and most of all, he seemed to always be around when she needed someone to talk to.  She always looked forward to their coffee dates, and always enjoyed his lectures.

 

“Want to get dinner tomorrow night?” she asked him softly.  His eyebrows raised in silent question.  She had initially turned him down, but the more she got to know him, the more she found it difficult to get him off her mind.

 

“What changed your mind?” he asked her, taking the seat next to her. 

 

She blushed.  “You won’t be my teacher anymore,” she whispered.  He gave her a smile.

 

“Meet me at the bookshop at six tomorrow, I have somewhere in mind.”

 

With that, he walked away, leaving her to her studies.  She blushed further, turning back to her books.  She didn’t know what she was thinking, going on a date with her history professor. 

 

_I must be going crazy,_ she thought to herself, burying herself in her homework once more.

 

-*-*-

 

Kagome was dressed in a black sweater and black a-line skirt.  She wore minimal make up, with a touch of gloss on her lips.  Her hair was styled in soft waves framing her face, and her legs were bare, with black socks coming to her knees and black leather shoes.  She wore a wool coat over her attire, the coat falling to her knees to block the chilly December winds.  She stood outside the bookshop, five to six, waiting to see if Yashiro would actually show up.

 

She checked her watch, watching it tick by slowly.  She was nervous.  She had been on a couple of dates in high school, but she had never been on one since starting college.  She was in her third year of college after taking two years of prep school to get into Tokyo University.  She had only ever kissed Inuyasha, and she didn’t have time to really read about anything related to sex or dating.  Her friends talked about their experiences with boyfriends, but it was something she had difficulty following or having interest in.  Nobody compared to Inuyasha in her mind, at least, nobody compared until she had met Yashiro.

 

A moment later she felt an arm wrap around her shoulders.  She looked up to see Yashiro grinning down at her.

 

“Ready to go?” he asked her, pulling her along. 

 

“Where are we going?” she asked him as reached to take her hand in his.  He was wearing a large wool coat and a black hat with his hair tucked inside of it.  The wisps of hair on either side of his face stayed, and he had left his glasses at home, or so she assumed.  Without his glasses, she had to admit he looked far more handsome.  His eyes were bright and he looked like he was in his late twenties.  His smile was quick to reach his eyes as he leaned in, his voice tickling her ear.

 

“You’ll see.”

 

He led her to a small ramen shop in the heart of the student district of Tokyo.  The ramen was cheap and she had eaten there several times.  Not quite what she had anticipated for a date, but she wasn’t about to complain.  She figured that as a professor, he probably didn’t make a ton of money either. 

 

For the first time, they didn’t talk about history at all.  He talked about some of his interests.  He was a black belt in kung fu and would compete in competitions occasionally, which explained his athletic physique.  He owned several antique swords and practiced kendo as well.  He admitted to having a guilty pleasure to reading manga nearly every night. 

 

“You know, in middle school I used to do a lot of archery,” she said, blushing.  “However, it’s been years since I’ve picked up a bow and arrow.”

 

He let out a chuckle.  “I could see you as an archer.”

 

She talked about life growing up at the shrine, how her grandfather would spout stories of demons and family history.  She told him of her little brother Souta, of how her father had died when she was young.    They gabbed for two hours before he paid their bill and led her out of the ramen shop.

 

“I want to show you something,” he whispered in her ear, sending a shiver down her spine.  His voice was so soft, his breath tickled her skin in the brisk December air.  She followed him gladly, until they reached a park filled with Christmas lights. 

 

She stared in awe as she saw the multicolored lights shimmering.  He held her hand, watching her gaze as she was wonderstruck.

 

“Yashiro… this is amazing…” she whispered under her breath.

 

“Yeah, it took some time to put together,” he replied, squeezing her hand.

 

She looked up at him, and he gave her a warm smile. 

 

“You did this… for me?”

 

He nodded.  His hand came up to touch her face.  His touch was feather soft, tracing her jawbone until it reached her chin.

 

“You know, ever since I first laid eyes on you, you’re all I’ve been able to think about.”

 

She blushed at his words, unable to respond.  He moved closer, his face just a couple inches from hers.  She could feel his breath on her face, she gazed deeply into his eyes, unable to turn away as her blush deepened.

 

“Kagome… can I kiss you?” he whispered, his face merely inches from hers. 

 

She was unsure of what to do, so she closed her eyes, giving him silent permission.  A moment later, his lips gently brushed against hers.  It was a gentle kiss, but it felt so natural to Kagome.  His hand moved to hold her head, his fingers getting tangled in her hair.  She felt a warmth spread through her body as he kissed her, feeling light as air. 

  
What caused her heart to sink was that when he kissed her, the image of Inuyasha popped into her mind.  The kiss from Yashiro felt just like the kiss from Inuyasha.  She felt years of loneliness melt away in that one short kiss, and as he pulled back, she felt the loneliness creep back, guilt hanging on her heart as she thought of another man when one in front of her was offering himself to her so willingly.

 

She opened her eyes to be met with sapphire, his hand resting on her cheek.  His forehead rested against hers, gazing into her eyes, trying to figure out her emotions.

 

“Kagome…” he whispered, his breath touching her face.

 

“Yes?” she whispered back, wanting him to kiss her again, but unsure of how to proceed.

 

She could tell that he was feeling conflicted.  Finally, he pulled away from her completely.  “We should probably get you home, you’re probably tired.”

 

She felt disappointment encase her body.  She wondered if she was that bad of a kisser that after one kiss, he was disinterested.  She felt her body aching for another kiss.  His touch caused a fire in her stomach that she had never really felt before, and while the kiss was so innocent, she could feel her body cry out for more attention. 

 

They walked slowly in silence, his hand reaching to grab hers and squeeze it gently.  She squeezed it back, wondering how he was feeling.  She was having such conflicting thoughts.  The kiss was romantic, the Christmas lights were beautiful, and after the kiss, he just pulled away.

 

She was feeling a bit embarrassed.  She didn’t think that it was a bad kiss at all, and that she had enjoyed far more than she thought she would, but he seemed adamant to get back to the book store.

 

When they arrived at the bookstore, he placed a kiss on her forehead. 

 

“You know, I don’t have your phone number.”

 

She looked up at him and he gave her a gentle smile.  She pulled out her phone.

 

“What’s your number?  I can text it to you,” she said, almost giddy.  He chuckled and gave her his number.  She sent him a text and she heard his phone go off.

 

“I had fun getting to know you tonight,” he told her. 

 

“I did too,” she said, giving him a warm smile.  _I hope he kisses me again,_ she thought to herself.

 

He reached out to touch her face once more, appearing to be fighting an internal battle.  He looked as if he were about to kiss her, but his hand dropped as he let out a sigh.

 

“Do you live near here or do you need an escort home?” he asked her.

 

She shook her head.  “I only live a few blocks away,” she responded, disappointment evident in her voice.

 

“I’ll walk you home,” he said, reaching to hold her hand once more. 

 

They walked in silence until they reached Kagome’s apartment building.  She lived in a small studio apartment that barely fit one person.  Yashiro’s brows furrowed together when he saw the apartment.  She could tell he disapproved.

 

“It’s small, but it’s cheap and I’m hardly ever home.  It’s basically just where I sleep and sometimes study,” she defended. 

 

“I know, I used to live here when I was a teenager.  Not the best area,” he commented nonchalantly. 

 

She raised her eyebrows in question, but he didn’t further elaborate.

 

“Well, goodnight,” she said, releasing her hand and walking towards the building.  He stood motionless, watching her walk away.  His face looked conflicted, like he wanted to say something, but had decided against it. 

 

Kagome let herself into her apartment, locking the door behind herself and dropping her keys in a bowl.  She took her jacket off and touched her lips, wondering why his attitude changed so much after kissing her.  She wondered if she was really that repulsive.  She wondered if he would text her at all and he had asked for her number to be polite, letting her down gently.

 

She released a deep sigh.  She had thoroughly enjoyed herself, and she hoped to hear from him for a second date. 

 

_Maybe I should have kissed him_ , she thought to herself. 

 

She went to the patio door and stood on the balcony, willing the fresh air to clear her mind.  She looked down and saw that Yashiro hadn’t moved from his spot.  He looked up to see her, giving her a smile.  She waved to him, and he waved back.  After a moment of watching her, he began to walk in the direction of the bookstore.  When he reached the corner, he looked back at her, giving her a two-fingered wave, and was out of sight.

 

She let herself back into the apartment, leaning against the door and sighing. 

 

“Yeah, I probably won’t hear from him again,” she said, hoping she was wrong. 

 

 

-*-*-

 

The next few days flew by.  Kagome had a month off before school started again, so she was working full time hours at the bookstore while she was saving up for her next set of textbooks.  Her next few classes were going to be intense.  She had passed all of her classes with solid A’s, and her next classes were going to be harder than the last ones. 

 

She hadn’t heard anything from Yashiro, confirming that he wasn’t interested in her.  She was disappointed to say the least.  She had enjoyed her date with him, and the fact that after three days she heard nothing broke her heart.

 

It was Monday afternoon and she was in the history section of the bookstore.  She was dusting the shelves and moving the books around to make sure that no dust was hiding.  All she had left to dust was the top shelf and she couldn’t quite reach it.  She stood on her tippy toes with the duster, trying to get the books, but she was just a tad too short.

 

“What are you doing?” she heard a familiar voice ask.  She turned around to see Yashiro with a quizzical look on his face.  She was surprised at how expressive his face was, considering his voice almost always had a hint of aloofness to it.

 

She looked at his lips and blushed, remembering the last time she saw him.  “Oh, uh, just dusting.  Don’t want to sell dirty books!” she tried to say in a chipper tone, but she was feeling rejected.

 

He took the duster from her hand, lightly brushing her fingers with his own, and started to dust the top shelf.  She blushed at the contact, but he seemed unaffected.

 

“Part of the charm of used books is the dust,” he commented, handing her the duster back.  They stared at each other for a moment in awkward silence.  “When are you off work today?”

 

“Oh, I get off in about twenty minutes,” she replied.  He smiled.

 

“Want to grab a bite to eat?”

 

She dropped the duster in surprise.  “What?”

 

“Or we can get coffee.  Or go for a walk,” he suggested. 

 

She blushed.  “I… I thought that you weren’t interested in me after our date…” she mumbled, bending down to pick up the duster.  When she looked up he looked surprised.

 

“Why would you think that?”

 

“Well, after you kissed me, it felt like you were avoiding me and I haven’t heard from you since,” she replied, her hands fidgeting with the duster.  She avoided looking at him by staring at the ground.

 

“I didn’t want to come off too strong,” he admitted.  “I’ve been dying to see you, which is why I came in today.  I’m glad I caught you.”

 

She looked up and figured he was being genuine since he had a light blush on his cheeks.  She smiled.  “I have to ask you, Yashiro…”

 

“Hmm?”

 

“Am I… ah…” she wanted to ask if she was a bad kisser, but she was feeling too embarrassed.  “You know what?  Never mind.  It’s nothing.”

 

“Kagome, forgive me for being nosey,” he began, walking with her to the front of the store.  “Have you ever been on a date before?  I mean, before we went on one.”

 

“A couple in high school, but that’s it,” she wondered where he was going with this.  “Why do you ask?”

 

He shrugged.  “You just seem innocent is all.  It’s very refreshing.”

 

She blushed.  She wanted to argue, but she knew it was true.  She couldn’t stop blushing around him and it was becoming exhausting.  She kept looking back at his lips, wanting him to kiss her again, hoping that if they went out again, he would. 

 

She thought about it for a moment.  They had enjoyed coffee together at least 8 times, and they went on a date where they kissed.  If she counted the coffee dates, they had been on nine dates.  However, she didn’t really count getting coffee every Thursday as a date.  She was doing the math a little bit in her head when she realized that he was staring at her.

 

“What is it?” she asked.  He let out a chuckle.

 

“You’re so deep in thought after my question, is there something you’re not telling me?”

 

She blushed further, causing his smile to broaden.  “No, just two dates in high school, and one date in middle school.  That’s all the dating I’ve done.  Is that so bad?”  


“Not at all, it’s just fine.  So how about it?  Looks like your shift is over in ten minutes, want to do something?”

 

She felt her heart pounding in her chest.  “Sure, but I’m not really hungry.”

 

“We could go to my place and watch a movie.  I live close by.”

 

She thought about it for a minute.  She had spent a lot of time with him.  She was sure he wouldn’t try to get into her pants, but going to his place on what would be technically the second date would be moving kind of fast. 

 

But she wanted to kiss him again, and in private, he may kiss her more than once.

_Kagome, you’re letting your hormones get the best of you,_ she chided herself.

 

_But so what?  I can always tell him to back off if he’s coming on too strong._

“A movie at your place sounds great,” she said, giving him a smile. 

 

He smiled back.


	3. The Texting Game

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After their second date, they start texting and Kagome's friends have her ask inappropriate questions, making Kagome's curiosity peak even more.

Kagome was in awe when she saw Yashiro’s apartment.  It was a huge western-style apartment, with a large open kitchen and living room, with a bedroom to the side and a small dining alcove. The walls were white with scrolls of ancient Japanese art, bookshelves packed with books, and random books on every surface.  She saw swords hanging on other walls, with three swords on display by the entry way.  She took her shoes off and let herself wander, admiring the plush furniture in neutral tones and wooden floors.  The couch was overstuffed and was on a large white shag rug, with a glass coffee table in front of it and a large television against the wall. 

 

To Kagome, it felt like she stepped foot in America with how it was styled.  She wanted to go and look in the bedroom, but she was too nervous to let herself see where he slept.  She saw the bathroom was off to the side of the kitchen, which was a full sized traditional Japanese bathroom with a small toilet to the side.  The bathroom tile was white with flowers etched into the tile, giving a feminine touch to an otherwise overly masculine apartment. 

 

“It’s not much, but it’s home,” she heard him say in an embarrassed voice. 

 

“Are you kidding?  I’d kill to live in a place like this,” she said.  Walking over to the couch to sit down.  She had been on her feet for over eight hours, glad to finally be allowed to sit.  She was realizing just how exhausted she was.  Yashiro took his coat off to reveal he was wearing a blue sweater and faded jeans, his hair in the normal pony tail, with thicker wisps of hair on either side of his face.  The hair on the side of his face made him look so much like Inuyasha it left Kagome unnerved, wondering if that was the reason she was so attracted to this man.

 

He plopped down on the couch next to her, grabbing the remote and pulling up Netflix.  “So, what do you want to watch?” he asked her, giving her a sly grin.

 

She shrugged, she didn’t really care what they watched.  She figured that they would just talk over the movie, maybe more…

 

She blushed at the thought, and he went back to the television, putting on a documentary about Russian prisons.  It was in English, so neither of them really paid any attention.

 

“So, prisons?” she asked.  He smiled.

 

“Yeah, I love watching documentaries.  Usually I watch them about history though, and I never watch them in English.  English has never been my strong suit.”

 

She laughed.  “I’m not very good at it either.  Math was usually my strong suit, but I found that history and literature were my strongest classes.”

 

He moved his arm to wrap around her shoulders.  She leaned in close to him so that their faces were only a few inches apart.  “What else are you good at?” he asked her, his voice sounding almost breathless.

 

She wasn’t sure how to respond.  “I’m not sure…”

 

He leaned in closer to her so their foreheads were touching.  She averted his gaze, staring at his lips.  She bit her bottom lip, hoping he would kiss her.  He didn’t disappoint.  As soon as she bit her lip, he placed his lips on hers.  She felt her stomach tie in knots at the kiss.  It was gentle again, just a brush of lips, but lingering longer than the first one he gave her.

 

She moved her hands to his chest, feeling the muscles beneath her fingertips and the warmth of his body.  He pulled back to look at her, his eyes unblinking.

 

“Am I moving too fast for you?” he whispered. 

 

She leaned in and kissed him, giving him her response.  His arms moved around her waist, pulling her close as she felt his kiss become more demanding.  Her body felt like it was on fire from how warm it was.  Her heart was pounding and she felt herself almost out of breath.  The kiss broke and she opened her eyes, staring at him through a half-lidded gaze.

 

“Yashiro… I’ve never done this before,” she whispered.  He kissed her again, softly.

 

“Never done what?” he asked, moving down to kiss her neck.

 

“Kissed anyone like this,” she sighed as he lightly nipped her neck just below her jaw.  He moved his mouth up to nip at her earlobe, placing feather light kisses along her cheek until he claimed her lips for his own.  Her hands clenched his shirt, willing him closer, but afraid to go further than this.  His lips felt so hot against her skin, sending electricity through every fiber of her being.  She felt fire in her stomach that she had never felt before move down between her legs, betraying her sense as he kissed her, his tongue begging for entrance past her lips.  She complied, tasting his sweet nectar as he deepened the kiss.  Her hands moved to his shoulders so she could wrap her arms around his neck.  She pressed her body flush against his as he wrapped his arms tightly around her.  She felt him gently push her to her back, as he lay over her, never parting his lips from hers. 

 

She let out a moan, her body screaming out for a release it’s never asked for before.  He broke the kiss to look down at her, panting to catch his breath.

 

“Kagome…” he panted, his voice sultry, dripping with his obvious desire.  Her lips were swollen from their activities, and she didn’t want him to stop.  However, the longer he waited to kiss her again, nerves overtook her body.

 

“Yashiro,” she began to say, but he claimed her lips as his own once more.  The kiss deepened quickly, causing her body to betray her.  Her back arched to be flush with his body, wanting to rid herself of her clothing.  His hand slid to the hem of her sweater, feeling the naked flesh beneath.  His hand moved up her torso until it was just beneath her breast, lighty tracing the bottom of her bra.

 

Her body stiffened, nerves taking over.  She broke the kiss, gently pushing him away, “I think maybe we should stop…” her face red with embarrassment.

 

He was breathless, removing his hand from under her shirt.  “Sorry,” he whispered, moving back to sit down.  She sat up, fixing her clothes before looking at him. 

 

“Sorry, it’s just…”

 

“No need to explain, we were moving a bit fast,” he offered, giving her a warm smile. Kagome couldn’t help but notice that his voice sounded a bit strained. 

 

She felt overwhelming relief.  “I thought you didn’t like me since you hadn’t talked to me!” she said, letting out a nervous laugh.  She couldn’t believe how fast she had been moving with him, how her body had reacted to his touch.  She had a hard enough time pushing him away, and she wonders if he would have pushed to go further if she hadn’t have stopped him.

 

“Oh, I like you quite a bit,” he said with surprise evident in his voice.  “It’s typically bad form to talk to someone sooner than a couple of days after a first date.”

 

She blinked at him.  “It is?  I had no idea.”

 

He shrugged.  “I told you earlier, I was dying to contact you, but I didn’t want to come off as clingy.”

 

“So, that first date, you only kissed me once and abruptly ended the date.  May I ask why?”

 

“I didn’t want to come off as too strong.  I have a tendency to move quickly, but you seem like you’re… inexperienced, so I didn’t want to scare you away.”

 

_Inexperienced is putting it lightly,_ she thought to herself.  “I’m guessing you’re experienced?”

 

He laughed, “You could say it’s something like that.”

 

She blushed, pulling her knees up to her chin.  She really liked him, but she was so nervous to go any further with him.  She barely knew him, and while what they just did was exhilarating, she knew that moving too fast could be detrimental to any future relationship.

 

_I’m not looking for a relationship right now,_ Kagome reminded herself.  _But if I were…_

She looked at him, making eye contact.  “So… Want to get something to eat?” she asked him.  She felt it might be a good idea to get out of his apartment before she did something she’d later regret.  He smiled and stood up, offering his hand to help her up.

 

“What are you in the mood for?”

 

She took his hand, standing up so she was only a few inches from him.  He smelled of pine, like a forest.  She loved the smell of the forest, it always reminded her of…

 

“Oh, you pick.  I could eat anything right now.”

 

-*-*-

 

Kagome was having lunch with Eri, Yuka and Ayame at Wacdonalds.  Kagome had told her friends of what had happened with Yashiro, and they were in total and complete shock.

 

“Kagome, you guys moved so fast!” Yuka practically shrieked. 

 

“Well, not really,” reasoned Eri.  “Usually couples have sex on the third date.  Sounds like he’s willing.”

 

Kagome blushed.  “Is that really the norm?  I don’t know if I’d be ready to go all the way on the next date…”

 

“You don’t have to, but it is pretty normal to go pretty far at least on the third date,” Eri corrected herself.  “But you’ve never done anything like this before, I’m surprised this guy got you to move so fast.”

 

Kagome took a drink of her pop, unsure of how to answer.  “I can’t believe I moved so fast either.  Something’s different about him.  I really like him, and we click really well.”

 

Kagome felt her phone vibrate and she pulled it up to see that Yashiro had texted her.

 

**I had a lot of fun yesterday.  I want to see you again.**

She blushed.  The day before they had made out on his couch, then he took her for American food and they talked for hours in the park.  He had walked her home and gave her soft kiss on the lips before leaving, promising to be in contact again soon. 

 

“Oh!  Is he texting you?” Ayame piped up, trying to grab Kagome’s phone.

 

Kagome held her phone out of Ayame’s reach.  “Yes, he just said he wants to see me again.”

 

“Wow, he’s moving really fast.  Texting you the next day?” Yuka asked, concern spreading across her face.

 

“Well I thought he didn’t like me because he waited three days to talk to me after the first date, so he promised he’d talk to me sooner.  We talked for hours last night in the park.  I want to see him again too, but I’m afraid my hormones are going to get the best of me.”

 

“You know what you need Kagome?  You need an iRabbit.  It’s a vibrator---“ Ayame began to say, but Kagome cut her off.

 

“I do not need a vibrator!” Kagome hissed, her face turning a dark shade of red.

 

“It’s actually not a bad idea,” Eri reasoned.  “You relieve yourself so you’re not as tempted to jump in the sheets with this Yashiro guy.”

 

Kagome stared at her phone as it buzzed again.

 

**I’d love to kiss you again.  It’s all I can think about.**

She blushed at her phone.  She felt the same way, but how would she respond to that? 

 

**I highly doubt that’s the only thing you’re thinking about,** Kagome texted back to him, putting her phone down.

 

“I don’t know if I can justify buying a sex toy, especially since I have no experience with… doing anything like that.”

 

All three of her friends stood up and slammed their hands on the table.  “Kagome!” they yelled in unison.

 

“Kagome you can’t just jump into the sheets with this guy and not even done anything on your own!  You need to learn to give yourself some love before you let him do it for you!” Eri hissed at Kagome, sitting down with her friends.

 

Kagome thought about what she said.  _She’s not wrong.  I probably should learn how to please myself before I do anything with Yashiro…_

Kagome felt her phone buzz again.  **Well, I can’t tell you about everything I think about, I’d scare you away ;)**

She tried to understand what he meant.  “Guys, take a look at these messages.  I think I said something that was taken wrong.”

 

Ayame looked at Kagome’s messages and began to laugh.  “He thinks your head is in the gutter.”

 

Kagome blushed and quickly texted him back.  **Get your head out of the gutter!**

He responded almost immediately.  **My head wasn’t in the gutter until now.  Now THAT’S all I can think about.**

She blushed, putting her head on the table.  “I’ll get a vibrator.  It’s probably best I get this out of my system so I don’t do something I’ll later regret.”

 

The rest of the lunch with her friends, texting Yashiro under the table.  After lunch, she began to walk back to her apartment, when she walked by an adult toy store.  She stared at the doors, wondering if she should go inside.  Her friends had made an excellent point, as much as she hated to admit it.  Her hormones were getting the best of her, and maybe some self-love is what she really needed in order to keep Yashiro at bay. 

 

“So Kagome, what else have you guys done besides make out?” Eri asked Kagome not so innocently.

 

Kagome blushed.  “Well we’ve had several coffee dates to talk about history…”

 

“Bleck, boring,” Eri replied.  “You know, I’ve found that guys like when a girl sits on their lap.”

 

Kagome raised her face to look at her friend.  “Really?”

 

“Yeah, leaves their hands free to roam, or so I’ve experienced.  They also like when a girl initiates.  I think a lot of guys want to feel desired too,” Ayame said with a slight blush on her cheeks.

 

Kagome thought about it for a moment.  She was so afraid of being rejected that she hadn’t thought about what he may feel.  He’s been appearing patient with her, and although she was obviously inexperienced, he didn’t seem intimidated by it. 

 

“He said he finds my inexperience refreshing,” Kagome muttered.  Ayame smiled.

 

“I’ve met guys like that, it usually means they have a small---,” Eri began to say, but Ayame cut her off.

 

“It means they know you’re not a slut,” Ayame finished. 

 

Kagome blushed, she knew what Eri was trying to say.  She wondered if that was the case…

 

“Well, I wouldn’t know if that would matter,” Kagome said matter-of-factly.

 

Eri giggled.  “It matters a little bit.”

 

Kagome felt her phone buzz.  She pulled it up and looked at it.  Yashiro was texting her again.

 

**I don’t think you meant to dial me, but I can promise you I’m not small.**

“Oh my god you guys, I accidentally dialed him and he heard our conversation!” Kagome half shrieked.  She was so embarrassed.

 

“What’d he say?” Yuka asked.

 

“He said he’s not small,” Kagome said, her voice shaky from how embarrassed she was.  She wanted to cry.

 

The three girls laughed.  “No guy actually thinks they’re small,” Yuka said. 

 

“Tell him to prove it with a picture!” Eri screamed.  The other three girls stared at her with blank faces.

 

“Just kidding,” Eri said, bowing her head.    
  
**I did not need to know that,** Kagome replied to Yashiro.  She giggled a little bit and sent another text immediately.  **My friends said I should ask for a picture to prove it, but I’ll take your word for it.**

He texted back immediately.  **I’ve found that if a girl sees it in person, she’ll believe it more than a picture ;)**

Kagome thumped her head on the table.  She was never going to be able look at him the same way again.

 

**I thought you were different than the other guys I’ve talked to,** she replied.  He responded immediately.

 

**I am different, but I’m still a guy.**

 

“So when are you seeing him again?” Ayame interrupted. 

 

“I dunno… I should probably ask him…”

 

**So off that conversation… when are we going to hang out again?**

Her phone went silent while all four girls stared at her phone.  Finally, after about five minutes, it buzzed.

 

**Is tonight too soon?**

“Oooooh he really likes you Kagome!”

 

Kagome was unsure of what to do. 

**How about tomorrow for dinner?**

“That gives you time to get an iRabbit,” Ayame replied giggling. 

 

**That sounds great.  Can I cook for you?  I make a mean ramen.**

“He’s obsessed with ramen,” Kagome sighed.  He always wanted to get ramen.  It really reminded her of Inuyasha sometimes…

 

“Aw, he wants to cook for your third date… You might want to get some lingerie for tomorrow night,” Yuka said with a wink.  Kagome blushed further.

 

**That sounds like a good plan.  I get off work at six.**

“Well, I should probably go…” Kagome told her friends, standing up.  She wanted to check out this iRabbit thing, and she really didn’t want her friends to tag along.

 

She hugged her friends goodbye, and as she walked home, she spotted a sex store.  She looked around to make sure that she didn’t see someone she knew and stepped inside. 

 

 She had never been inside a store like this before and she didn’t know what to expect.  She noticed there was a wall of lubricants, an entire section dedicated to movies, and on the back wall there was a display of the latest sex toys.

 

She stood staring at the wall, having no idea where to start.  She felt her phone buzz again and decided to check to see what Yashiro was wanting.

 

**What kind of mischief are you up to right now anyway?**

She wondered if she should be honest, just to be cheeky.  He probably wouldn’t believe her.

 

**Oh, just looking at getting a new toy ;)**

She figured that she would let him draw his own conclusions.  Considering how innocent she was, he probably wouldn’t assume she was getting a sex toy.  She found the iRabbit and the blood drained from her face when she saw the size of it, as well as the price of it.  She wasn’t sure that it would fit if she used it.

 

Her phone buzzed again, she rolled her eyes and looked at her phone. 

 

**That was you who went into Fantasy Gifts just now?  I thought I saw your doppelganger.**

She internally screamed.  He was close by, and he saw her go into a sex store.  She ran to the register and paid for the toy, shoving in her bag and ran out, only to run face first into Yashiro, knocking him back a few paces.

 

“Yashiro!  What are you doing here!” she exclaimed, pulling him away from the storefront.

 

He had a wolfish grin on his face.  Today he was wearing a red sweater and ripped jeans.   He had a brown leather messenger bag slung across his body and his hands in his pockets.  “I was out for a walk, enjoying your texts… when I saw you walk in there.  I never thought you’d be the type to go into a store like that.”

 

Her face turned a deep scarlet.  “I was uh...”

 

“You were getting a toy.  You told me that much,” he said, laughing.  “Oh sweetie, the real thing is so much better.”

 

She covered her face.  She was so embarrassed.  “I think I’m going to go home now.”

 

“Do you want to get some coffee?  We could move up our dinner date to tonight if you want.”

 

She was turning a bright red, hoping that the toy wasn’t noticeable in her bag.  “I think I’m going to pass, but thank you.  I have a lot of cleaning to do tonight.”

 

His head was cocked to the side, curious.  “Okay… Can I at least walk you to your apartment?”

 

“Uh… sure,” she said.  He took her hand and they walked the six blocks to her apartment.  When they reached her building, he gave her a soft kiss on the lips.  It was gentle, giving her a warmth through her entire body, just like before.

 

“Well, I’ll see you around,” he said as he began to walk away.

 

“Wait!” she half yelled.  He stopped and turned around.  “Do you… want to come up for a cup of coffee?” she asked him.  He smiled, walking back towardsher.

 

“I’d love that.”

 

Kagome blushed, letting him into the building.  He squeezed her hand as they rode the elevator up, and she was blushing more each moment.

 

W _hat am I doing?_ She asked herself.  She didn’t want him to see what was in her bag, but she was inviting him up to her apartment when they’d only had two dates.  _What are you thinking, Kagome?_

_I’m thinking curiosity is getting the best of me._

She opened her apartment, allowing him to step inside to her little studio apartment.  “It’s not much, but it’s home,” she said, putting her bag down on the small table by the door.

 

He looked around, admiring the simple art on the walls and the neatly made bed against the wall.  Her desk had a small computer and her kitchen had nothing but a small fridge, a one tub sink and a hotplate.  It smelled of lavender and cherry blossoms. 

 

“It suits you,” he said, with a smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it seems like they're moving fast, but to be fair, a lot of couples move really fast nowadays! I met my husband and two months later we were married, and that was over 7 years ago. I think that her love of Inuyasha and her sense of familiarity with Yashiro would result in her moving a tad faster than normal. But that's me. 
> 
> If you like it, comment! If you think I could improve, comment! You guys are great!


	4. Boundaries

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kagome invites Yashiro to her apartment, where she decides to set some boundaries and outline the relationship...

Kagome felt like she was on edge.  She didn’t know why she invited Yashiro up to her apartment.  It was a spur of the moment.  He had been walking away and she didn’t want him to leave. When she wasn’t around him, she always felt an emptiness, and for the first time in years, she didn’t feel lonely.  She realized that when he was around, she didn’t get lonely for Inuyasha and she didn’t feel so desperate to get back to the feudal age.  She had been so lonely for so long, and when she was with Yashiro, her loneliness melted away.  Her body and her mind ached for his company, causing her to act rashly.

 

_I can’t stop thinking about him,_ Kagome thought to herself as she turned on the electric kettle.  She pulled out two mugs and some instant coffee powder and put the powder in the mugs, moving around the small excuse of a kitchen as fast as she could.  Her hands were shaking from nerves.  On one hand, he was in her apartment, and they were alone together.  On the other hand, she was afraid he would see what toy she bought, and she wondered how he would react.  Her mind kept going back to the purchase.  She had no idea how she was going to afford food this week.  Maybe she could pick up a few extra hours at the bookstore so she could afford the overly expensive toy…

 

“You know, you said you had cleaning to do tonight, but your place looks insanely clean,” he commented, watching her move around the kitchen.  She gave him a half-smile as she leaned up against the counter.

 

“I have laundry to do, I only have one outfit left.  And the laundromat is super busy in the evenings, sometimes it’s difficult to find a washer…”

 

“You know, you’re welcome to do your laundry at my place any time.  I have a washer in my bathroom,” he offered offhandedly.  He kept his hands in his pockets as he watched her fidget.

 

“That would be a little awkward, but thank you,” she mumbled, blushing slightly.  _Wh_ y _do I blush at everything I say around him?_

He moved closer to her, and she averted her gaze.  He moved his hand to lift her chin to look at her.

  
“Everything okay?” he asked, his eyes staring into hers.  She looked at his mouth and bit her bottom lip, feeling her hormones go out of control again.  She was trying everything in her power to not jump on him. 

 

“Yeah, everything’s great!” she said, a little too quickly.  The kettle turned off and she turned around to pour the water into the mugs.  He moved his hands to her waist, pulling her close to him.  She froze, unsure of what to do.

 

“If you’re nervous, it’s alright.  I promise I won’t push you to do anything you’re not ready for,” he whispered into her hair.  “You smell wonderful, by the way.”

 

She put the kettle down and turned around, his hands never leaving her waist.  She placed her hands on his shoulders and looked up at him, their noses nearly touching.

 

“I just don’t know what’s coming over me,” she whispered. 

 

He let out a soft chuckle.  “Me either, I figure to just go with it.” 

 

She remembered her friends words, _Guys like it when a girl initiates._ She stood on her tippy toes and placed a soft kiss on his lips.  It only lasted a moment, but she felt fire in her stomach racing south.  He had such an effect on her that she was extremely aware of, making her more confused than ever before.  Her hands reached up to grasp the back of his neck, holding his head close to hers.

 

“Oh Kagome, what are you doing to me?” he asked through a strained voice.  He kissed her again, his hunger for her evident.  She kissed him back, pulling herself flush to him.  His arms wrapped tightly around her body, his tongue begging for entrance past her lips.  She obliged, her arms wrapping around his neck, her nails digging into his shoulders. 

 

Her body was on fire, begging for more.  She didn’t want the kiss to end, and from what she could tell, neither did he.  He pulled her hips to him closer and she could feel that he wasn’t lying about being small.  She blushed more, feeling her face grow hot from embarrassment.  He began to back up, pulling her with him, the kiss never breaking. 

 

He backed into the small table where Kagome’s bag was, knocking it on the floor, its contents spilling out.  They broke the kiss, both panting for breath.

 

“Sorry,” he muttered, kissing her again.  His hand moved under her shirt to where her bra clips were, quickly undoing them in a fluid moment.  She felt her breasts fall free from the contraption, wanting to stop, but needing to continue.

 

His hand moved to the front of her, sliding up to cup a breast.  He kneaded the soft flesh beneath his hand, causing her to gasp.  He moved his face down to kiss her throat, lightly nipping.  His hand moved to touch her nipple, rolling it between his forefinger and thumb. 

 

The sensation was foreign to Kagome, having never been touched like this before.  Her body ached for more as her throat let out a hungry moan.  He moved his face up and captured her lips with his own, squeezing her breast harder, causing another moan to escape her lips.

 

“Yashiro!” she moaned, her voice pleading.  He kissed her jaw line hungrily, his other hand moving to her neglected breast.  She was gasping, trying not to moan, willing herself to gain some self control, but unable to do so.  She felt herself leading him to the other side of the room where her bed was, careful to step over the items strewed on the floor.  At the moment, she didn’t care that all the contents of her bag were open for anyone to see.

 

The backs of her knees bumped her bed causing Yashiro to pull her flush to his body again.  Her hunger for him was insatiable.  Her hands moved under his sweater to touch his well-muscled stomach, feeling him shiver at her touch.  He moved to unbutton her top, letting it drop to the ground along with her bra.  She moved her hands up, feeling his muscles flex beneath her touch, causing her to let out another moan.

 

“Kagome,” he moaned, kissing her with more force.  His attention was so demanding, her body unable to resist him.  She broke the kiss and pulled his sweater over his head, seeing his well muscled body for the first time, causing her to blush all the more.  He was a beautiful specimen of a man.  He gazed at her as well, his eyes half-lidded with a desire she was unsure she could give.  She sat on the bed, pulling him with her.  He kneeled on the bed in front of her, slowly pushing her to her back, claiming her mouth as his.  His hand moved up to knead her breasts once more, rolling her nipple, lightly tugging at it.  He kissed down her neck, her back arching into him.  He kissed the valley between her breasts, causing her body to shiver in anticipation.

 

His mouth moved over, leaving a trail of hot kisses in his path as he took her rosy peak into his mouth.  His mouth felt so hot on her skin, lightly nipping the pointed nub, sucking gently, causing her body to feel an array of sensations she never knew even existed.  His mouth moved to the other nipple, his teeth lightly teasing the nub into submission.  She moaned his name, encouraging him to continue.  Her nipples were hard, dying for attention, when he moved to claim her mouth as his own once more.  He began to grind against her, making her aware of how excited he was.  His chest was flush against her, flesh touching flesh.  His hand moved down her body, reaching her hip, his thumb in the waistband of her jeans, moving to the front to unbutton her pants…

 

“Yashiro!  Stop!” Kagome gasped. It took all of her willpower to utter those words and her heart sank as soon as she said them.  He moved his hand away from her waistband and moved up to rest flat on her stomach.  “I’m sorry, I’m not ready,” she whispered.

 

He lightly kissed her on the lips, moving his hand back to her waist.  “It’s alright, I don’t mind waiting,” he whispered against her lips.  “You’re worth the wait.”

 

She blushed, kissing him back.  His arms moved underneath her to hold her close, kissing her once more. 

 

He stayed like that for a moment, enjoying the kiss, before he pulled away.  He sat up and got off the bed, picking up his sweater and putting it back on.  While his back was turned, Kagome grabbed her shirt and quickly did the buttons, not putting the bra back on.  She grabbed her bra and stuck it under the covers of her bed to hide it.  However, she had forgotten her bag had been knocked over and when she followed his gaze to the floor…

 

“Oh no!” she gasped, running over to the items splayed out on the floor, trying to hide the large box containing the iRabbit, but it was too late.  He saw, and he had a shit-eating grin on his face.

 

“May I ask why that one specifically?” he asked her, putting his hands in his pockets, his face wide with a grin.

 

Her face turned a deep shade of red as she quickly stashed it in her closet.  “My uh.. friend told me I should try that one.”

 

“I’ve heard that it’s a good toy... for experienced users,” he finished, giving her a wide grin.  “Do you have any other toys to compare it to?”

 

She couldn’t even look at him.  “I’ve never used a toy before,” she muttered.  He gave her a knowing smile, looking cocky.  His smile actually put her on edge, irritation rising in her throat.  “Can we set some boundaries?  Please?”

 

He raised his eyebrows in surprise.  “Of course.”

 

“No really personal questions.  You can’t ask about my experience and I won’t ask you about your experience… or anything about your penis,” she said, her face growing more red with each moment.  “You don’t even offer the information, deal?”

 

He laughed, “Deal.  Anything else?”

 

“Hands stay above the waist,” she said crossing her arms.  “I don’t want to jump into anything.”

 

He stepped closer, his had reaching out to idly play with her hair.  “I think we’ve already jumped into something, but if you say so, that’s fine.”

 

“No more of… this random touching… it’s, ah, distracting,” she was trying to say as he lightly traced her jaw.  His hand moved down her neck and back up to cup the side of her face. 

 

“So what can I do?” he whispered, leaning in to kiss her cheek.  His hand dropped to lightly grasp her arm.  He left a trail of feather light kisses along her jaw line down her neck.  He nipped at her earlobe, feeling her take a jagged breath in.  “Can I kiss your neck?” he asked, kissing her just below her earlobe.  “Or your shoulder?” he asked, trailing kisses down to the base of her neck, pushing her shirt aside to kiss the flesh beneath.  She unconsciously gave him access to her neck, as he nipped her flesh softly, causing a sigh to escape her lips. 

 

“You’re impossible,” she sighed, leaning into him.  He moved his head up to kiss her softly on the lips.

 

“No, just overly infatuated,” he corrected, letting his lips linger on hers. 

 

“Kissing is fine…” she whispered as he claimed her lips for his once more.  “But we should keep the fooling around to a minimum,” she whispered on his lips.  He groaned like a little puppy.

 

“That’s going to be hard,” he groaned, kissing her.  “You’re a lot of fun to fool around with.”

 

She blushed.  “Yashiro, what is this?”

 

“What’s what?” he asked, kissing her neck once more. 

 

“What we’re doing… the time we’re spending together… what is this?”

 

He stopped for a moment, his lips on her shoulder.  He straightened himself out, but kept the distance between them minimal.  His hand cupped her face.  “What do you want this to be?”

 

She stared into his gaze.  “I don’t know…” she whispered.  “We can’t even pretend to just be friends anymore…”

 

“No, friends is out the door,” he said, kissing her softly.  “I like you… and you like me, I think… Do you want this to be a relationship?”

 

“I’ve never really been in a relationship before,” she whispered, the thoughts of Inuyasha being suppressed down.  _He was never a real boyfriend…_

 

“Well, let’s try it out,” he whispered, placing another kiss on her lips.  “And we’ll go at your pace… When you’re ready to move forward, just say the word…”

 

She sighed in relief.  “Thank you,” she said, wrapping her arms around him in a hug. 

 

After a moment, she pulled away.  “So, do you still want that coffee?”

 

He smiled, following her to the kitchen.  “I’d love a cup of coffee.”

 

-*-*-

 

After Yashiro had left, Kagome straightened up her apartment.  He stayed for over an hour and they talked, going more into depth of their pasts.  Kagome talked about how determined in high school she was to go to Tokyo University and how she had studied so hard to get in.  Yashiro revealed that he was 28 years old, so eight years older than Kagome, and that he had been orphaned at a young age, bounced around foster homes.  He never knew his father, but his mother he remembered fairly well.  She died when he was 7 and he was sent to the foster care system, no family ever really sticking.  When he was 15 he was living on his own working odd jobs.  He studied hard and got into Tokyo U when he was 19, and got through his Master’s degree.  He was currently working on his doctorate, which is why he taught lower level history.

 

She asked what kind of odd jobs he worked, and he told her that he wasn’t ready to tell her that yet.  He seemed oddly secretive about it, but he was respecting her boundaries, so she decided to respect his.  She wasn’t ready to open up about her time in the feudal era, but maybe someday, she would tell him of Inuyasha.

 

They kissed some more, but it wasn’t as heated as earlier in the evening.  His hands wandered, but as promised, he kept them above the waist.  When he left, he gave her a soft kiss on the lips, telling her that he would see her the next day at his place, making ramen. 

 

Kagome went into her closet and pulled out the iRabbit.  It had batteries already, and she rinsed it off to make sure it was clean.  She sat on her bed, staring at it.  Unsure of how it was supposed to work.

 

She didn’t want to tease Yashiro by asking him what she’s supposed to do with it, but he seemed knowledgeable.  It was about six inches long with a thick girth, with what looked like a little bunny coming out of it.  She pressed the buttons and the tip moved in circles and the little bunny vibrated. 

 

“I see why it’s called an iRabbit,” she sighed.  She stared at her phone, wondering if she should ask him. 

 

She shrugged it off, taking off her pants and panties, deciding that she needed to figure out this self-love her friends talked about.  She didn’t want to so readily jump into Yashiro’s pants, and if this calmed down her hormones, then so be it. 

 

She turned on the vibration and let it touch along the outside of her folds.  The vibrations felt nice, she had to admit.  She rubbed it along her folds, letting out a soft gasp at the feel of the toy against her.  She moved the tip of the toy to her entrance, softly pushing it in, but it met resistance and it was hurting. 

 

She stopped, she was sure it wasn’t supposed to hurt.

 

_Oh, it’s probably because I’m a virgin,_ she thought to herself.  She put the toy to the side, determined to use it later.  She let her fingers roam to feel herself.  She felt her clit, and she moved her fingers around it.  The ball of nerves was sensitive, and she was having difficulty navigating what felt good and what didn’t.  She experimented moving her fingers in different directions, different pressures.  She decided to insert a finger and realized how tight she was.  She pumped her finger inside of her, enjoying the sensation.  Her folds were slick with juices and she continued to pleasure herself.  She pulled her fingers out to rub her clit, getting a rhythm of what felt good and what didn’t.

 

She heard her phone buzz, and she sighed.  She saw that Yashiro was texting her.

 

**Can’t sleep, what are you up to?**

She sighed.  **You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.**

She got up and put on her pajamas.  She heard her phone buzz again and she went to look at it. 

 

**Try me.**

She blushed, wondering if she should tell him.   _Well, he is my boyfriend now._

**Tried to use the iRabbit, it kind of hurt :(  Don’t think I’m going to use it again.**

 

She stared at her phone, wondering what he was thinking.  She didn’t know if he was going to laugh or be concerned.  She was feeling herself be more embarrassed with each passing moment, wondering what he was thinking.  _He probably thinks I’m hopeless because I can’t figure out how to play with myself._

Her phone buzzed and she was surprised at her answer.  **You have to work yourself up to it, not just jump right in.  Rome wasn’t built in a day, you’ll get there.**

Definitely not the answer she was expecting. 

 

**Not going to lie, this self-love thing is confusing.**

 

She waited.  Finally, her phone buzzed again.

 

**Sounds like you need help ;)**

She laughed.  **Nice try, buddy.**

**Worth a shot.**

 

She sat on her bed, staring at her phone.  It was kind of fun to tease him.  _How far can I go with teasing him?_

**You know, the vibrations felt nice though…**

She hit send, and waited for him to respond.  She was giggling a bit.  He responded almost immediately.

 

**Oh really?**

She was trying to decide what to send next.  She decided to get a little creative.  **I think my fingers were too big to fit too, guess I’ll never use the iRabbit…**

 

She stared at her phone, waiting to see what he was going to say.  Her phone buzzed a moment later.

 

**I’d love to see for myself…**

She giggled.  **Well you know… nothing below the waist…** and she sent a picture of her bare legs in her shorts.  The shorts were unusually short, and she knew that he’d probably groan when he saw the picture.

 

He responded a few minutes later.  **I’m half tempted to go back to your place if you keep sending me pictures.**

She laughed.  **All right, I’ll stop.**

She waited a minute and her phone buzzed again.  **I was hoping you wouldn’t.**

She giggled again, feeling embarrassed.  **You’ll see me tomorrow.  I’ll wear something nice**

She heard her phone buzz again, but she needed to get some sleep.  She turned her lights out and curled up in her bed, no longer dreaming of a silver haired hanyou, but instead dreaming of a handsome history professor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The writing bug bit me! I can't stop writing this story :) It's nice to write something else with a lot of smut. I promise an actual plot will appear soon :) 
> 
> Comment and kudo please!


	5. The Short Skirt Paradox

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yashiro cooks for Kagome, and they challenge each others boundaries... LOTSA SMUT!

Kagome stared at herself in the mirror, trying to decide if dressing as she did would be appropriate.  She had teased him quite a bit the night before, and he was making her ramen tonight. 

 

She wore a short flared skirt, a little shorter than what she normally wore, stopping at her upper thighs.  It was black, and with a good gust of wind, she’d be exposing the red lace thong she had found on clearance that morning.  Her top was a creamy white sweater that was a low scoop neck and long sleeved, and she wore knee high socks with black leather shoes.  Her make up was natural, with a hint of pink gloss to make her lips look more luscious.  She curled her hair so it fell in waves around her face.  She wondered if the skirt was too short.  She knew he’d appreciate it, but she was afraid of sending the wrong message.

 

This was their third date, and while she agreed to nothing below the waist, after playing with herself the night before, she wondered if he was any good at it.  She imagined his hands moving up her thighs, his fingers going under the lace…

 

She blushed, shaking her head, willing the dirty thoughts away.  She looked at her phone and realized that she was running late.  If she spent too much more time on her appearance, he’d probably wonder where she was.  She put on her coat and grabbed her purse, rushing out the door.

 

He only lived about half a mile away, making a nice walk through the city.  She reached his building and pushed the button on the intercom.  The door buzzed a moment later and she let herself in, pushing the elevator button to lead her to his floor.

 

She stood outside his door for a solid minute, afraid to knock.  _I shouldn’t have worn this skirt, it’s barely covering my ass,_ she thought to herself.  She was sure that as soon as she took her coat off, his hands would be all over her. 

 

She knocked lightly and he opened the door a moment later.  He wore an oversized red tshirt and faded jeans with holes in them.  His socks had holes in the big toe.  His hair, for the first time that she’s seen, was not in the usual pony-tail and his glasses were off.

 

Kagome had thought that she was looking straight into the face of Inuyasha on the new moon.  He looked identical to Inuyasha.  Her jaw dropped, unable to stop staring.

 

“Kagome, are you coming in?” he asked her, breaking her trance.  His voice was slightly different from the hanyou’s, which caused her to come falling back to earth.  He wasn’t Inuyasha, but she was beginning to wonder if he was a reincarnation, like she was of Kikyo. 

 

“I think I’m overdressed,” she said as she took off her coat.  He gave her a wolfish grin.

 

“Nonsense, you look wonderful,” he said, taking her coat and putting it in the closet.  She took her shoes off and placed them by the door.  She was sure he noticed her bend over, and she hoped that the skirt wasn’t so short he got a glimpse of her panties.  She was regretting the skirt every second she was wearing it.

 

When she turned around, he still had the grin on his face, but he didn’t say anything.  She shuffled past him into the kitchen, where he followed.  There was a large stock pot on the stove of broth, fresh noodles waiting to be boiled, with thin slices of pork waiting to be cooked.

 

“Can I help?” she asked.  She started to roll up her sleeves, but he reached out to stop her.

 

“All I have to do is boil the noodles, but you’re welcome to keep me company,” he told her, leaning in to place a kiss on her cheek.  She blushed. 

 

She stood to the side and watched him work.  He methodically put the noodles in the boiling water, tasting the broth to make sure it was sufficient.  He had an array of vegetables that were ready to go into the oversized ramen bowls.  She couldn’t help but giggle.

 

“I just never took you as someone who cooks,” she said when he gave her a questioning look.

 

“Oh, I can only cook ramen.  If you want anything else, it’s strictly take out.  Good thing ramen is my favorite food,” he said, letting a chuckle escape his throat.  He pulled the noodles out and set up the bowls, covering them in broth.  “Do you want a beer?” he asked her, pulling a beer out of the fridge for himself.

 

“Oh, sure,” she said as he handed her one.  She opened it and took a sip.  While she wasn’t a fan of beer, she figured that the alcohol might make her forget that she wore a skirt that was way too short.  They took their bowls to the dining room table, which was a glass top.  He handed her a set of chopsticks and she took a bite.

 

The ramen was absolutely amazing.  Not a lot of spice, good flavor, veggies and meat cooked perfectly.  She took a drink of her beer, downing about half the bottle.

 

“So, what do you think?” he asked, slurping up the noodles from his own bowl.

 

“It’s amazing, you could open a ramen shop,” she exclaimed.  He laughed. 

 

“I told you, I can make a mean ramen.  I just can’t cook anything else.”

 

“Well, next time I’ll cook,” she said, giving him a smile.  “However, I’m not great at ramen, but I make a good sukiyaki.”

 

He moaned.  “I love sukiyaki, but the restaurants never make it very good at all.  Tomorrow at your place?”

 

Her hand holding the chopsticks froze, and she let out a nervous laugh.  “Uh, how about next week?”

 

His brows furrowed.  “What’s wrong with tomorrow?”

 

_How do I deter him without telling him I’m too poor to even buy instant ramen?_ She thought to herself.  “We’ve been seeing each other a lot this week, and I work tomorrow so I’ll probably be too tired to cook,” she reasoned, taking a quick slurp of noodles.  _Saved it._

 

He gave her a concerning look, but it appeared he decided to drop it and lifted the bowl to his lips, drinking the rest of the broth.  She finished her noodles and broth, feeling really full.  She finished her beer and he gave her another one. 

 

“Want to watch a movie?” he asked her, and her face lit up. 

 

“Sure, what were you thinking?”

 

He grinned.  “I haven’t seen Spirited Away yet, and I hear it’s good.”

 

She almost squealed in delight.  She loved that movie.  He grinned when he saw her reaction.  They sat on the couch and he put the movie on, the lights low in the apartment. 

 

“I love the portrayal of the spirits in this movie,” she muttered under her breath.  He chuckled and moved his arm around her waist, pulling her close to him.  She leaned into him, her head tucking under his chin. 

 

“You know, the bath house is actually a brothel,” he commented lightly. 

 

“No it is not!” she argued.

 

“No, it totally is!  Look it up!  Back in ancient times, bath houses were brothels and they’re selling Sen to work in a brothel!”

 

Kagome chose to ignore him, watching the movie, now unable to see anything but the adult themes of the movie.

 

“I hate you for ruining this movie.  _This is a children’s movie!”_ she hissed.

 

He laughed.  “Most children’s movies have adult themes to them, do they not?”

 

“But… it’s a studio Ghibli…”

 

“And Grave of the Fireflies is a children’s movie?”

 

She wanted to argue, but that was one of the darkest movies she had ever seen.  She opened her mouth to argue, but nothing came out because there was nothing for her to argue.

 

“Oh shush,” she finally said, snuggling closer to him.  “I don’t want to ruin anymore movies.”

 

He laughed, idly playing with her hair.  His hands moved to rub her arm lightly.  She looked up to realize that he wasn’t watching the movie at all---he was watching her.

 

“What?” she asked him.  He shook his head. 

 

“You look beautiful tonight,” he whispered, leaning down to kiss her on the lips.  She kissed him back, feeling his arms wrap around her tighter.  Once the kiss broke, he stared into her eyes.  “That picture you sent me last night kept me up all night.”

 

Her eyes widened as her face grew red in embarrassment.  She buried her face in his chest, causing him to laugh.  “If you can’t handle it, don’t dish it out,” he told her, kissing her hair. 

 

“I can so handle it!” she blubbered into his chest, trying to hide her blush.

 

“Is that why you wore such a deliciously short skirt?” he asked her, humor evident in his voice. 

 

He could see her cheeks grow redder and he began to laugh.  “I didn’t realize how short it was until it was too late to change,” she muttered, refusing to show her face.

 

His hand moved down to touch her leg, rubbing it lightly.  “You know, teasing isn’t very nice,” he told her, his hand moving dangerously high on her thigh.

 

She looked up at him and glowered.  “And you don’t tease me?” she asked him.

 

“I can handle what you dish out, but you can’t handle what I dish out.  How fair is that?”

 

She felt her irritation spark.  He was driving her nuts!  He had a playful gleam in his eyes, telling her that he was enjoying this.  She moved to sit on his lap, wiggling her butt on his groin. 

 

“I can handle whatever you dish out,” she said, point blank, hoping he wouldn’t call out her bravado.  Her skirt was riding dangerously high, not unknown to Yashiro.  His hand moved to rub her leg, moving to the hem of her skirt.  His fingertips played with the flimsy fabric, admiring her shiver at his touch.

 

“Oh can you?  Are we breaking the boundaries we set yesterday?”

 

She felt herself grow nervous, but her pride and stubbornness was getting the best of her.  He made her distrust her own body, she wanted him to get a taste of what that was like. 

 

Her fingers ran up and down his chest, causing his breath to hitch.  _Aha!  He seems to like that._   She leaned down and kissed him lightly on the lips.  He tried to deepen the kiss, but she pulled away just far enough so that their lips still touched, but not close enough to do anything more than lightly brush lips. 

 

She held the cards, and she was plotting her moves carefully.  She arched her back so that her body was flush against his, but she kept her head back, just out of reach of his lips.  She moved her hips again, grinding against him.  He let out a low groan, giving her more bravado.

 

She crossed her legs, leaning into him.  Her hands were on the back of his neck when she pulled him to her lips.  She deepened the kiss, enjoying the sensation.  His hand moved up her thigh to lightly squeeze the soft flesh of her derriere, causing her to gasp. 

 

He groaned again, kissing her with more hunger.  His other arm was wrapped around her waist, playing with the bottom hem of her sweater.  He slipped his hand under the sweater to feel the soft skin underneath.  She let out a soft moan as his hand rubbed her thigh. 

 

His caresses became more demanding, rubbing her leg with more pressure.  His kiss was full of a hunger for her that she couldn’t easily ignore, for she felt a hunger for him as well.  His hand moved from her thigh to under her sweater, moving up to cup her breast through her lacy bra.  He felt the lace and moaned. 

 

“You know,” he said, breaking the kiss.  “You should only wear lacey lingerie if you want someone to see it.”

 

Her lips were swollen, her eyes half-lidded with desire.  She leaned in and kissed him again, moving her hips once more.  A low groan escaped his lips once again and she could feel how uncomfortable he was, causing a small smile to reach her lips.

 

“Maybe that was on purpose,” she teased, biting his bottom lip. 

 

“You’re playing with fire,” he warned, moving his hand under her bra to feel the flesh underneath.  She let out a moan as he pinched her nipple, rolling it between his fingers. 

 

She let out a soft gasp, feeling pressure build up inside of her.  She wanted to know what the release felt like, wanting to encourage him further, but unsure of how to keep him from going too far.  If he could make her feel like this by just playing with her chest…

 

She uncrossed her legs and maneuvered herself so she was straddling him.  She was a little shaky on what to do, but she guessed her way through, and by the cocky little smile on his face, she assumed she was doing a good job.  Her hands were on his chest as she kissed him again, letting her nails lightly dig in to his shoulders.  His hands moved to hold her by the hips, squeezing them gently.  She pulled back and took off her sweater, leaving her wearing nothing but the bra and short skirt, which was barely covering her red lacey thong.

 

He buried his face between her breasts, kissing the valley in between.  His hands moved up to unclip the bra, letting it fall loose.  He pulled it off and placed his mouth on one of her rosy peaks, sucking on it with a little more force than before.  She let out a moan, grinding against his hips, encouraging him to continue.

 

He bit down softly, causing a surge of pleasure to ripple through her, sending shivers down her spine.  _It feels so good,_ she thought to herself, a moan escaping her lips.

 

His mouth moved to her other breast, lighting biting down on the rosy peak, causing her to cry out.  He sucked on it hard, pulling it away with his mouth.  

 

She wanted to touch herself, wondering if this would lead to the release her body craved.  She moved her hand down her front, going under her skirt as she stroked herself, letting out a moan. 

 

Before she realized it, Yashiro had stood up, his arms firmly around her.  She quickly wrapped her arms around his neck and made sure her legs were solidly around his narrow waist.  He walked to the bedroom with ease, laying them both down on the bed, his lips joining with hers once more. 

 

“Why’d you stop?” he gasped, moving to kiss her neck frantically. 

 

“Stop what?” she asked, letting a moan escape her lips as his hand moved to knead her breast once more.

 

“Playing with yourself, don’t stop,” he muttered, lightly nipping at her shoulder. 

 

She moved her hand back into her panties, stroking her clit once more.  She felt her body clench, begging for release.  She was unsure how to get past the edge, and she was starting to get frustrated.

 

“Ugh, I can’t do it!” she grumbled, pulling her hand out of her panties.  Yashiro stopped and sat up, staring down at her.

 

“Can I try?” he asked her, his face serious.

 

She blushed.  “Umm…”

 

“You said no going below the waist, can we change that?”

 

She blushed more.  Her body was aching for release that she couldn’t give it.  He moved his hands to touch her thighs, rubbing them as if he were soothing her.  The light was dim and he watched her intently.  She moved her hands to the waistband of her skirt, sliding it down her hips.  The skirt revealed a red lacey thong that matched the bra she was no longer wearing.  He bit his lip, looking as if he were holding back a moan. 

 

He pulled the skirt off her, moving his hands to the thin scrap of cloth that was keeping her from being completely naked beneath his gaze.  He kissed her stomach, his hands on her hips idly playing with the thin strings of the thong.

 

He sat up and took off his shirt, revealing his well-muscled body.  He was kissing her body again, down her stomach, stopping at her belly button, kissing it tenderly.  She was shaking, the mood suddenly changing from frantic to slow.  He was taking his time moving over her body, admiring it.

 

“Just say the word,” he whispered against her stomach, kissing lower until he was just above the top of the lace.

 

“Yes,” she whispered.  A moment later he was slowly pulling off the scrap of lace, his fingers lightly tracing her skin as he pulled the fabric down over her knees.  The thong dropped to the floor, and he moved to pull off her socks, one by one.  She was shaking in anticipation, wondering what he was going to do.  He kissed the inside of her thigh, moving up until he was at the junction between her legs.  A moment later she felt his tongue moving around her entrance, lapping up the juices that he inspired.  His tongue rubbed her clit, moving in motions that made her body squirm and tighten.  She felt him roll his tongue, causing her body to come closer to the brink.  She tightened her legs against his head, unwilling to let him leave until he finished what he started.  She felt him pucker his lips on her clit and begin to hum, causing her body to be _right there._   She was so close.

 

His arms wrapped around her legs, pulling her hips up so he had better access.  His tongue moved around in circles around her clit, teasing her, making her moan louder.  She had never felt anything so delicious before, not wanting him to stop, but wanting to feel the sweet release of pleasure. 

 

She felt him hum, the vibrations of his voice finally sending her over the edge, feeling white behind her eyes as her body writhed in tremors of pleasure, her voice sounding not unlike an animal from the carnal desire she so experienced. 

 

As her body began to relax, he pulled his face away from her center, kissing his way up her body once more.  She was gasping for breath, her heartbeat slowing.

 

He kissed her, tasting of the sweet nectar he had indulged in only moments before. 

 

“Oh Yashiro…” she whispered against his lips. 

 

“I like hearing my name on your whimpers,” he whispered back, his hand moving down to stroke her once more.  Her body involuntarily twitched.  He moved to slide a finger inside her, causing her to gasp.  “Oh God you’re tight,” he moaned, kissing her once more.  

 

He pumped his finger inside her, rubbing the upper wall of her vagina.  She felt her body clench once more, that delicious build up happening again.  His thumb rubbed her clit as he pumped his finger, inserting a second one to stretch her out.  She cried out, unable to control her moans as her body felt the familiar pressure building inside.

 

Within moments she felt her body release, tremors overcoming her once more.  He continued to pump his fingers, letting her ride out her release. 

 

As her body came down, he slowly removed his fingers, causing her to whimper.  He gently pressed his lips against hers.  She could feel her heartbeat move at an unusually slow pace, her body feeling completely relaxed. 

 

“That… was amazing,” she whispered, snuggling closer to Yashiro.

 

He rolled on top of her, pressing himself against her so she would be made aware of his predicament.  She blushed, unsure of how to proceed.  He kissed her with a growing hunger once more. 

 

“We don’t have to go all the way tonight,” he whispered, “but I want you to know that I want you, Kagome.”

 

She blushed as she looked up at him, his face serious.  “I’ll wait until you’re ready,” he whispered.  

 

She kissed him, her lips lingering on his.  “Thank you.”

 

He got up and straightened himself up.  She looked and saw the bulge in his pants, causing another blush to rise to her cheeks.  “You should get dressed.  I need to take a cold shower.”

 

He left the room to go to the bathroom, and a few moments later she heard the shower turn on.  She picked up her thong and skirt, putting them on quickly.  She went to the living room and put on her bra and sweater.  By the time she had her socks on, he was out of the shower, wearing nothing but a towel around his waist.  She openly gawked at him, a blush touching her cheeks. 

 

“I want to say something snarky, but if I saw you in nothing but a towel I’d probably gawk too,” he said with a grin on his face.  She blushed even more, turning away so he could walk past into the bedroom.  He exited a moment later wearing gray sweat pants and the same tshirt as before. 

 

“I should probably head home,” she said when she saw the clock.  It was nearly ten and she had to work early.

 

“You can stay here if you want,” he offered, motioning to the bedroom.  She shook her head, the blush deepening.

 

“No, I have to work early and I can’t wear this outfit to work,” she told him, giving him a smile. 

 

“Well at least let me walk you home since it’s kind of my fault you’re here so late,” he said, going to get his jacket.  He grabbed hers too, helping her put it on.

 

They walked through the streets of Tokyo, hand in hand, enjoying the sounds of the city. When they reached her building, he placed a soft kiss on her lips.

 

“Don’t be a stranger,” he whispered. 

 

“I won’t,” she replied, giving him a sweet smile.  He waited until he saw her light on in her apartment before he began the long walk home. 

 

Kagome opened her window to cool her face.  She was moving so fast with Yashiro, but she felt like she couldn’t help it.  He was so irresistible.

 

_He looked so much like Inuyasha tonight…_ she thought to herself.  She closed her window and turned on her water kettle, making herself a cup of sleepytime tea. 

 

“Did I let my guard down because he looked so much like Inuyasha?” she asked herself.  She definitely was more brazen than normal.  She couldn’t resist his touch like normal, and she realized that the entire night, she had been thinking of Inuyasha.

 

She felt a sob rise in her throat.  She was being so unfair to him, and he was being so patient with her.  A tear slipped out of her eye, making her wonder if she actually cared for Yashiro at all and she was pretending he was Inuyasha in her mind.

 

She shook her head, of course that wasn’t it.  While in her mind she had difficulty separating the two, she knew that her growing feelings were for Yashiro, and that her flame for Inuyasha had recently began to recede.  In some ways, she couldn’t separate the two, but in others they were polar opposites.  Inuyasha was harsh and impatient, whereas Yashiro was patient and smooth.  Inuyasha was a little more innocent than Yashiro, at least she assumed so.  Inuyasha would blush at the thought kissing, much less holding hands.  Yashiro didn’t seem to be embarrassed by anything. 

 

She wiped away another tear.  She was being so unfair to Yashiro.  She was toying with his emotions because she was hung up on someone who she hadn’t seen in five years. 

 

She drank her tea and heard her phone buzz. 

 

**I hope you have sweet dreams.  I know I will.**

She smiled.  Inuyasha would never have the courtesy to do something like that.  Yashiro was definitely a more considerate person. 

 

She wondered if he truly was Inuyasha’s reincarnation.  It was entirely possible.  She was Kikyo’s, and while her and Kikyo were similar, there were definite differences.  They had looked quite a bit alike, and Yashiro held a definite strong resemblance to Inuyasha.

 

She hugged her pillow, willing thoughts of Inuyasha away from her mind.  She fell into a dreamless sleep, her spirit at odds with itself.


	6. Sukiyaki and a Kendo Tournament

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kagome runs into Hojo at a Kendo tournament, warning Kagome that Yashiro is bad news.

            Kagome had been working overtime at the bookstore so she had been unable to see Yashiro for four days.  He had been texting her quite a bit, and when he asked if he could visit her at work, she told him now since he was so distracting.  She was pretty sure she hurt his feelings, but she needed to concentrate on work and she couldn’t do that if he was rubbing his hands all over her. 

 

She was dying to see him, her body had craved him before, but after experiencing such release, it’s like her body turned it up a notch.  She had been playing with herself every night without success, frustrating herself more and more.  She didn’t dare tell Yashiro, she was afraid he’d show up at her apartment and take her to new heights.

 

_Well, that wouldn’t be so bad,_ she reasoned with herself.  _Ugh, Kagome!  Snap out of it!  You guys are moving way too fast!_   She would get paid the next day, and due to her excessive spending on non-necessities recently, she hadn’t actually eaten any solid food in two days.  She had been surviving on coffee and tea, and she was running out of that.

 

Her stomach growled loudly, causing excessive hunger pains.  She continued to tell herself that one more day and she could make sukiyaki.  She promised Yashiro that she would make him sukiyaki on payday.  He had offered to take her out to dinner the night before, but she didn’t want him to continually pay for her, and if he suddenly expected her to pay for herself, she would be unable to do so. 

 

Her stomach grumbled again, and she had noticed that without eating for a couple of days, her body was feeling weaker.  She wondered about going home to her mother’s after work and getting a meal there.  She didn’t even have the 300 yen to spare to get cheap ramen down the street. 

 

It was four days until Christmas and she had no plans either.  While being raised at a shrine, she never really celebrated, but the idea of Christmas was romantic to her.  She figured Yashiro didn’t really celebrate it either, and she hadn’t asked him. 

 

She looked at the clock, two more hours until she could go home.  She drank a tall glass of water, hoping that the water would fill her up.  She was starting to feel dizzy and weak, which she knew was because she hadn’t eaten.  She worked through the hunger pains, feeling like the temperature in the bookstore was dropping.  She was freezing, and when she felt her brow she was sweating.  _Maybe I’m getting a fever?_ She thought to herself. 

 

She saw the clock, ten minutes until she could go home and curl up in bed.  Her body was feeling weaker and weaker with each passing moment.  Her limbs were shaking and her body was soaked with sweat.  She sat at the cash register, sipping on water, realizing her hunger pains had turned to nausea. 

 

“Kagome? Are you feeling alright?” her coworker asked her.  She looked at them through a haze, she was feeling more and more dizzy with each passing moment.

 

“No… I think I need to lay down,” she said, holding herself up at the counter to keep from collapsing. 

 

The bell on the door jingled and Kagome saw through her haze a man with a pony tail and clunky, black rimmed glasses.  She gazed up at him, giving him a smile.

 

“Kagome!” she heard the man yell as she felt the world go black.

 

-*-*-

 

Kagome woke up in a strange bed.  The room had neutral tones and the bedding was soft.  The bed was much larger than hers, and the sun was setting through the sheer curtains.  Books sat on the end table with a brass lamp.  She saw a glass of water on the night stand and she realized that there was a wet cloth on her forehead.  She heard moving around and a moment later, she was looking up at Yashiro.

 

“You’re awake,” he said, surprised.  She sat up, taking the cloth off her forehead. 

 

“How’d I get here?” she asked him, feeling dizziness take over her once more.  She laid back down, cursing herself.

 

“You passed out in the bookstore.  I wanted to surprise you, and when you saw me you smiled and collapsed.  You woke up a moment later, but you were really out of it.  I carried you back here.”

 

She felt her face turn red as she pulled the blankets to her face.  “How embarrassing…”

 

He shrugged.  “It wasn’t a big deal.  I didn’t realize you were sick, you need to take better care of yourself.”

 

“I’m not sick,” she protested.

 

“You have a fever and you passed out, you’re sick.”

 

“No, I’m just a little weak,” she protested again, reaching for the water.  She sat up and took a sip.  The nausea was gone at least.  “I don’t get paid until tomorrow and I didn’t realize how short on funds I was, and I didn’t want to go to my mom and ask for groceries, so I’ve been living off of tea.”

 

She saw him jut his jaw out in anger.  “Why didn’t you tell me?”

 

She sighed.  “We just started dating, I didn’t want to bother you with my stupid mistakes.  I spent more money than I should have, I get paid tomorrow, so tomorrow I’ll be back on track.”

 

“What did you spend your money on---,” he started to say, but his eyes grew wide with realization. 

 

“Yeah, a stupid mistake,” she said.  “I thought I asked you not to visit me at work.”

 

He gave her a dark look.  “I missed you, is that so wrong?”

 

She could tell he was hurt at her accusing tone.  “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean for it to come off like that.  I was afraid you’d take pity on me and I didn’t want you to feel pressured to take care of me.”

 

His features softened at that.  “I know how hard it can be as a college student, I was there once too.  I don’t mind helping you out.  I was afraid you were mad at me.”

 

It was her turn to be surprised.  “Why on earth would I be mad at you?”

 

He shrugged.  “I thought maybe you were mad at me for us moving so fast the other day, when I promised I’d go slow.  I thought maybe you were avoiding me to make sure that you didn’t do something you’d regret, I couldn’t tell you.  I came in today to invite you to a tournament I’m going to be in on Christmas.  I’m fighting in a Kendo tournament and I have an extra ticket if you’re interested.”

 

She brightened up at that.  “That sounds like fun.  I’d love that.”

 

Kagome’s stomach grumbled loudly, causing a blush to touch her cheeks.  Her hunger pains were coming back.

 

“Come on, let’s get you something to eat,” he said, helping her out of bed.  She wasn’t nearly as dizzy anymore, but she still felt weak.  Her legs were shaking and she was hanging onto Yashiro for balance.

 

He let her hold his arm for balance as they walked a few blocks to their usual ramen shop.  He ordered them both ramen and dumplings, pushing for Kagome to eat as much as she could hold.

 

By the end of the meal she was feeling more like herself.  She also didn’t realize how much she could eat.  She ordered a cup of tea and they chatted in the restaurant for a while, enjoying each others company.

 

When they left, the sun had long since set and the city lights were glistening.  They walked hand in hand back to Kagome’s apartment. 

 

“I’ll pick you up from work tomorrow so we can get the ingredients for the sukiyaki you promised,” he said, kissing her cheek.  She blushed. 

 

“Do you want to come up for a few minutes?” she asked him.  He smiled and shook his head.

 

“I think I’ll pass, you need to get some rest and I know that I’m distracting.”

 

She smiled.  “Have a good night.”

 

He waited until he saw the light in her apartment come on before walking back to his own apartment.

 

 

-*-*-

 

Promptly at six o’clock, Yashiro walked in the door of the bookshop where Kagome was clocking out.  She was wearing faded jeans that were loosely fit and a black sweater.  Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail and her make up was natural.  She saw Yashiro and gave him a wide grin. 

 

“You ready to go?” he asked her, his hands in his jeans pockets.  She nodded, grabbing her jacket and purse.

 

They walked the short distance to the grocery store, where she idled over the ingredients.  She was trying to find the best deals, and blanched when she saw the price of beef. 

 

“Don’t worry, I’ll cover it,” he whispered in her ear.

 

“No, I got paid and I worked overtime, I’m fine to pay,” she argued, but he put his finger to her lips.

 

“But I’ll be eating most of it, and I insist.  You can buy dessert if you’re so concerned.”

 

When they left the store, they walked by a small bakery with cakes in the window.  Yashiro led them in and she picked up a small strawberry cake to share.  When they returned to his apartment, she set to work to start cooking the sukiyaki.  He didn’t offer to help, but he pulled a beer from the fridge and kept her company as he watched her work.

 

She chopped vegetables and sliced the beef, putting it in the pot as he watched, a grin on his face.  He noticed that the sink was starting to fill with dishes, so as she continued to cook he washed the dishes.  She hummed a happy tune as she continued to cook, causing him to gaze at her in awe.

 

“What?” she asked him, and he shook his head.

 

“My mom used to hum when she cooked too, it was nice.”

 

She blushed, he didn’t often talk of his mother.  She went back to cooking, continuing to hum.  He wrapped his arms around her waist, resting his head on hers.  He placed a kiss on her head, inhaling her scent.  She leaned into him, enjoying the feel of his arms around her.

 

“I’m glad to finally date a girl who can cook,” he whispered.  “It smells amazing.”

 

She laughed.  “Never dated a good cook before?” 

 

“Never,” he whispered, kissing her neck.  “Also never dated a girl I was so crazy about either.”

 

She blushed at that comment.  _He’s crazy about me._ “I wish I had a kitchen like this, mine is terrible to cook in,” she said, changing the subject.

 

“You can cook here anytime you want, I’ll even supply the ingredients,” he responded, kissing her neck. 

 

“I can’t come here every day and cook,” she reasoned, stirring the sukiyaki pot.

 

“I wouldn’t mind one bit.  Good cooking every day?  Count me in,” he chuckled, kissing her shoulder.

 

She blushed, he was really laying it on thick.  “So, kendo tournament.  Is it a big tournament?”

 

“Yep, it’s televised and the largest one in the country.”

 

She felt her jaw drop.  “I didn’t know that they were that popular.”

 

“Grand prize this year is $100,000.  I got second place last year, hopefully I’ll win this year.”

 

“I didn’t know you were that good!” she exclaimed. 

 

“Oh yeah.  I had a lot of aggression when I was a teenager, I needed a way to vent it out.  Kendo and Kung Fu were my vents.  I actually won a Kung Fu tournament a few years ago.”

 

She was in shock and awe.  “That’s insane!” she pulled the sukiyaki pot off the stove and carried it over to the table.  She put a pot holder down and put the pot on top of it.  Yashiro brought a bowl of rice to the table and Kagome grabbed the dishes.  She grabbed a beer out of his fridge and they dished up the food.

 

“This is, by far, the best sukiyaki I’ve ever had,” he told her, wolfing down the food.

 

“If you keep eating like that, there won’t be any leftovers,” she said, frowning. 

 

“I promise there won’t be any leftovers.”

 

“You won’t have any room for dessert.”

 

“I think you underestimate my appetite…” he muttered, stuffing his face.  She giggled, happy that he was enjoying her cooking.

 

True to his word, there were no leftovers.  They began to clean up the dishes and ended up spraying each other with water from the kitchen sink.  They couldn’t stop laughing at the other’s antics. 

 

“Do you have a shirt I can wear?  You soaked mine,” she said accusingly, trying to wring out the water from her sweater. 

 

“Yeah, hang on,” he said as he went off into his bedroom.  He came back a moment later with a dark blue t-shirt.  She went into the bathroom and took off her sweater, wringing it out and hanging it on the towel rack.  She put his shirt on and couldn’t believe how big it was on her. 

 

She came out and he had changed his shirt too, giving her a sly grin when he saw her.

 

“You know, I like how you look in my clothes,” he told her, giving her a toothy grin.

 

“I’m sure you like me better without clothes,” she muttered under her breath, but he caught it.

 

“Yeah, you’re my favorite without clothes,” he admitted sheepishly, causing Kagome to blush.

 

“So, want to try to watch Spirited Away and eat some cake?” she asked him. 

 

“Sure, but only if you promise not to seduce me again.  I want to finally finish the movie.”

 

Her jaw dropped.  “You had started it!”

 

“Nope, that was all you.  Not that I’m complaining,” he said with a wink, causing her face to turn beet red. 

 

They sat down with a piece of cake each and turned on the movie, snuggling and laughing throughout the movie.

 

-*-*-

 

Christmas arrived, and the last day of the tournament had begun.  Yashiro had forgotten to tell Kagome that the tournament was three days long, so after their night of watching Spirited Away and just a little fooling around, he was competing in the tournament.  She hadn’t seen him since the sukiyaki night, and the last day of the tournament he was wearing his hair in a low pony tail, wearing black robes and black hakamas.  Kagome had a front row seat, watching him enter the finals. 

 

She couldn’t believe how good he was, and how fast he was.  He had the speed of a youkai and the footwork of a samurai.  He beat each opponent with ease, knocking him up in the ranks quickly.

 

It came down to him and one other person.  While she was waiting outside the locker rooms to wish him luck, a familiar voice called out to her.

 

“Kagome-san!”

 

She turned to see Hojo.  She hadn’t seen Hojo in nearly two years, not since she had last turned him down for a date.  He had always been persistent, something she admired about him. 

 

“Hojo!  Long time no see!  How are you?” she asked him. 

 

“Oh I’m doing well.  I never thought I’d see you at one of these,” he remarked off-handedly.  “I didn’t know you were a fan of kendo.”

 

“Oh, no, I’m not really, but my boyfriend is in the tournament so I came to root him on,” she replied with a smile. 

 

“Oh, who’s your boyfriend?”

 

“Yashiro Nagasaki, he’s in the finals,” Kagome responded.  She noticed Hojo’s face went from being friendly to having a sour look.  “What’s wrong?”

 

“You shouldn’t date him.  He’s not a good person,” Hojo told her, his voice quiet.  He took her arm and pulled her aside.  “He’s got a history like no one I’ve ever seen, total womanizer, rumor has it he worked---,” he was whispering when Yashiro came up to them, wrapping his arm around Kagome’s waist.

 

“Kagome, what are you doing here?” he asked, giving Hojo a dark look while nuzzling her hair.  “You know this guy?”

 

“Oh Yashiro, this is Hojo, we go way back,” Kagome told him with enthusiasm.

 

“We know each other,” Hojo said darkly.  “In fact, Kagome and I dated in junior high, didn’t we?”

 

Kagome blushed.  “Yeah, I guess we did,” she said, looking at the ground, embarrassed. 

 

Yashiro gave Hojo a dark look.  “So I’ll see you in the finals,” he said, his voice flat.

 

“I guess we will.  Hey Kagome, we should catch up sometime, I’d love to hear how your life’s been going.”

 

Kagome was about to respond, but Yashiro pulled her away.  She waived at Hojo and they made it to the ring.

 

“He’s such an ass,” Yashiro grumbled. 

 

“You’re not jealous, are you?” Kagome asked, her curiosity peaked. 

 

“That he dated you first?  Absolutely,” he responded, almost in a growl. 

 

“Well if it makes you feel better, we never even held hands.  Saying we dated is really stretching it.  We went on one date and I bailed halfway through.”

 

Yashiro seemed to calm down at that.  He gave her a smile.  “I promise I’m not upset with you at all, if I had known you in middle school I would have pursued you, but I wouldn’t have let you bail on a date,” he said with a wink.

 

She laughed.  “I wouldn’t have given you the choice.”  They were silent for a minute as he put his gear on.  “Hey Yashiro?  He said that you were a womanizer, is that true?”

 

He froze.  “I used to be,” he admitted, his cheeks a little red.  “But I was young and I grew up.  I much prefer the stability of a relationship now.”

 

“He mentioned something about where you used to work, but you ended up cutting him off,” she told him, trying to discern what Hojo was getting after. 

 

Yashiro shrugged.  “We all did things in our past that we regret or would rather not talk about.”

 

Hint taken, she decided.  She was prying and he didn’t like it. 

 

The announcements stated that the round was going to start in five minutes, and Yashiro finished putting on his gear.  He went over to Kagome and pulled her in a hug. 

 

“Win this match and I’ll let you see some more lace,” she whispered in his ear.  He looked at her and smirked.  She knew what he was thinking, but what he didn’t know is that she had lace topped socks.  While it was kind of a mean trick, she figured that for the moment, she could tantalize him.

 

“If I win, dinner is on me tonight,” he told her, giving her a quick peck and jumping into the ring. 

 

Hojo got into the ring and they put their face masks on, their kendo swords at the ready. 

 

The bell rang, and within moments Yashiro and Hojo were at each other, swords clanking against each other.  They moved so quickly that she couldn’t follow who was winning and who was losing. 

 

A moment later, Hojo lost his footing and was knocked down by Yashiro.  The white flag was thrown, and Yashiro was declared the winner. 

 

Kagome jumped up and down with joy, screaming at the top of her lungs, just as the rest of the audience cheered.  Yashiro pulled off his helmet and raised his sword, basking in the glory.

 

He stepped out of the ring and kissed Kagome, his face reflecting the happiness of a child.  He leaned in and whispered in her ear.  “I can’t wait to see that lace.”

 

She shivered, his breath tickling her ear.  Was he in for a surprise.

 

-*-*-

 

Yashiro took Kagome to an Italian restaurant, ordering a bottle of wine for them to share and ordering food she had never heard of before.  He was giddy, having never actually _won_ the tournament before, or so he gushed. 

 

She sipped at her wine, wondering how he’d react when she revealed the lace she promised was the top of her socks.  She wasn’t wearing any sexy lingerie that particular day, so she was certain that she’d keep her clothes on around him.  However, he hadn’t been handsy with her at all, and he was in such a good mood that she was sure nothing could spoil his mood. 

 

Dinner passed relatively quickly, both talking about the tournament.  They both actively avoided the topic of Hojo.  Kagome sensed that there was some bad blood between the two, but Hojo’s warning was ringing in her ears.

 

_Where did he used to work that was so concerning to Hojo?_

 

They left the restaurant, hand in hand, enjoying the Christmas lights.  Kagome felt that it was one of the best Christmas’s she had ever experienced.  She knew that it was probably the best Christmas that Yashiro had ever experienced too. 

 

They walked to his apartment, a wolfish grin on his face once more.  She knew what he thought she promised, and the thought sent chills down her spine.  The last time they were together, he took her to new heights, and she believed he had every intent of doing that tonight.  She shivered, causing him to wrap his arms around her.  It began to snow and she held her breath.

 

It didn’t get better than this.

 

 


	7. The Loneliness Returns

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kagome returns to the well, her past loneliness weighing heavy on her mind, wondering if her growing feelings for Yashiro are fair.

“You’ve got to be shitting me,” Yashiro stated, irritation evident in his voice. 

 

Kagome let out a giggle.  “Well, I said I promised lace, I just never said where the lace was!” she said, proudly displaying her white socks with white lace on the top.  They looked like socks little girls would wear, and she was very proud of them.  She had pulled up the bottoms of her jeans to show him, pretending to be seductive as she lifted her pant leg. 

 

The look on his face told her he didn’t find it very amusing, and she couldn’t help but laugh harder.

 

“You know, I’m beginning to think you’re a bit of a pervert,” she said.  “What were you thinking?”

 

His eyes narrowed at her as he crossed his arms.  “I’m the pervert?  You’re the one who promised lace.”

 

“And I delivered, did I not?” she told him, humor evident in her voice.  He didn’t say a word.  He looked like he was plotting.

 

She narrowed her eyes at him, a playful glint obvious.  She fixed her pant leg and walked away, her hips swinging more seductively than normal.  She heard him come up behind her a moment later, picking her up and carrying her off to the bedroom. 

 

“Yashiro stop!” she said, giggling.  She couldn’t even get mad at him.  He threw her on the bed, jumping on top of her a moment later.

 

“Stop what?  Hmm?” he asked, playfulness in his voice.  He moved his hand down her side, causing her to shiver.  She was starting to feel the warmth he caused when suddenly…

  
“Oh God! STOP!” she screamed as he tickled her.  She started kicking but he pinned her down as he tickled her sides.  She tried to fight back, but he was laughing as he had her pinned.  She was laughing so hard her face began to ache. 

 

“Take that,” he told her smugly, finally letting her go.  He got up and began to walk away, but she quickly got off the bed and wrapped her arms around his waist. 

 

She inhaled his scent deeply.  He consistently smelled of pine and musk, nearly intoxicating her.  The smell caused her body to feel warm and made her think dirty thoughts of tangled sheets and sweaty bodies.  She blushed a little at the thought, but kept her face buried in his backside.  She smiled, feeling herself loosen up for the first time in years.

 

He turned around and embraced her back, kissing her hair.  His hands rubbed her back, giving her comfort she didn’t know she needed.

 

“Yashiro?”

 

“Hmm?” he mumbled. 

 

“I’m not just a conquest to you, am I?” she asked.  He pulled back and looked at her square in the face.

 

“No.  I told you I’m not like that anymore.”  Relief was visible on her face.  He leaned down and kissed her.  “You’re not a conquest, but you are special to me.”  She sighed contently, kissing him back.  She pulled him towards the bed, sitting down on the down comforter and pushing herself back.  She gave him a coy look, and he smiled at her, crawling towards her.

 

He kissed her, lightly nipping at her bottom lip.  She laid back and he followed her, grinding his hips against her.  He claimed her mouth, moving his hand under her shirt.  He moved his hand around to her back, unclipping her bra.  She moaned out, encouraging him.  He sat up and took off his shirt, letting her gaze at him.  He had a few bruises from the tournament, but it added to his masculinity, making her crave him more.  She sat up, taking off her shirt and throwing her bra to the side. 

 

She was feeling more brazen than before, pulling him to her lips, moaning in his mouth.  She moved her hand up to his hair, pulling the tie so that his hair cascaded down around his face.  When she looked up at him, all she could see was Inuyasha.  She blushed at the thought, but before she could feel guilty, he kissed down her exposed throat, his hand moving to her breast.  He kneaded it gently as his mouth lightly kissed her other breast.  His lips touched the rosy peak, sucking gently.  She let out a soft sigh as he teased her nipple with his teeth.  She spread her legs, letting him rest between them as he kissed his way down her stomach. 

 

His hands lightly traced her stomach, sending shivers throughout her body. 

 

“Tell me what you want, Kagome,” he whispered against her stomach.  His hands playing with the button of her jeans.  She bucked her hips towards him in a silent plea. 

 

“Yashiro…” she moaned. 

 

His hands gripped her hips, pinning them down, kissing just above her waistband.  “Tell me what you want me to do,” he whispered, lightly nipping the sensitive skin on her midriff.  “I need to hear you say it.”

 

Oh, he was teasing her.  She continued to move her hips suggestively, not wanting to put it into words.  Her blush reached her breasts, her face flushed from her arousal.  He kissed his way across her stomach, sending butterflies throughout her body.  His hands reached up and began to knead her breasts, rolling her nipples in his fingers.  Her nipples became taught, hardening as he toyed with them more.  She moaned more, her body moving of its own accord.  He started to kiss his way back up her stomach, to her ribcage, kissing just below her breast.  His mouth was hot on her body, making her shiver in anticipation. 

 

“Say it Kagome, what do you want?” he muttered, a little more demanding.  He squeezed her breasts harder, causing her to moan out.  He moved up her body to claim her mouth as his own.  Her arms wrapped around his neck, digging her nails into his shoulders.  He moaned into her mouth, his tongue fighting with hers, tasting her sweet cavern.  He thrust his hips into her, letting her feel what she did to him.  He was as turned on as she was, and she wanted to feel release. 

 

He began to lazily grind his hips into hers, the friction causing her body to react.  She could feel the tension build as he was grinding, not realizing just how sensitive she was to his touch.  His mouth moved to her breast again, biting down a little more firmly, causing her to cry out.  He took her hardened nipple in his mouth and sucked hard, his teeth teasing the pebble he inspired. 

 

“I want you,” she moaned.  “I want your mouth on me,” she moaned louder.  She could feel him smile against her breast.  He released her nipple, kissing down her body again until he reached her stomach.  His hands unbuttoned her pants easily, pulling them over her hips and off her legs.  He came face to face with her panties, soaking wet from their activities.  She watched him as he kissed above her panty line, his fingers playing with the fabric on her hips. 

 

He licked her panties, tasting her juices through the fabric.  “Oh Kagome, you’re sopping wet,” he muttered.  He tugged at her panties with his teeth, nuzzling her, creating friction with the fabric.  The sensation was new, exciting her.  His hands began to pull the panties down, moving them achingly slow over her legs, his fingers lightly lingering on her skin.  When the panties hit the floor, his mouth kissed the inside of her thigh, teasing her more.  He nipped at the soft flesh, kissing closer to her center.  She bucked her hips, silently pleading with him. 

 

She was rolling her hips, begging him to give her sweet release.  He moved his hand to her center, letting a finger slide easily inside of her.  She cried out, moving her hips to make him go deeper.  He pulled his hand back, causing her to whimper.

 

“All good things come to those who wait,” he teased, nipping at the inside of her thigh. 

 

“Yashiro, please,” she begged.  She heard him chuckle.  A moment later, she felt his tongue in her folds, circling around her clit, but not quite touching it.  The sensation caused her to moan out.  He was enjoying teasing her, making her putty in his hands.  He inserted a second finger, pumping them slowly inside of her.  She cried out, feeling the pressure build.  He began to move his tongue in a way he knew she liked, humming as he licked her center.  She felt the buildup, her entire body clenching around his fingers.  He could feel she was almost there, her body so close to the sweet release…

 

He pulled his fingers out of her and began to kiss his way back up her body.  Her legs clenched his body as her hips bucked against him.  He reached her breast, kissing it softly as his hands moved up her body, memorizing every curve.  He reached her mouth and kissed her, grinding his hips against hers once more.  His jeans created a friction that was keeping her close to the edge.  She began to grind back, her legs around his waist.  She was so close to feeling the release, her body was aching from how close she was. 

 

“I want you to get yourself off,” he whispered against her lips.  He sat up and unbuckled his pants.  He stood up, his gaze never leaving her face as his pants dropped to the floor.  He left his red boxers on, but she could see that he was fully erect.  She felt her heart jump in her throat when she saw how big he was. 

 

“Uh…” she began to say, but he cut her off with a kiss.

 

“We won’t do anything tonight, but my pants were starting to get painful,” he muttered against her lips.  “Play with yourself,” he whispered.  She didn’t move, so he kissed her again, letting his fabric laden erection graze against her folds.  He grinded his hips against her, letting her fully feel his arousal.  She began to blush, but he distracted her by nipping at her neck.  “Don’t be nervous, I promise you’ll still be a virgin when the night is over.”

 

She wanted to make a snarky remark, but she was afraid of ruining the moment.  “Unless,” he continued, kissing down her body again, lightly nipping at her breast.  “You beg for me to take it from you.”

 

She moved her hand down her stomach, her fingers reaching her folds.  She began to move her fingers in circles around her clit, trying different pressures like Yashiro had done, finding a rhythm that caused her body to build up pressure once more.  She wasn’t as close as she had been, but Yashiro watching her play with herself was erotic in itself.  He sucked on her breast, his hand moving down to stroke himself as she continued to touch herself.  “Come for me,” he whispered, biting down on her nipple.  She cried out, feeling her body clench up once again.  He began to suck with force, his teeth teasing her hardened peak.  She could feel him pumping his cock faster, turning her on all the more.  She felt herself reach the edge, so close.

 

He could feel her body clench up and he stopped stroking himself, inserting two fingers and began to quickly pump his fingers inside her.  She continued to play with her clit and a moment later, her vision blacked out as she cried out, her body violently shuddering from the explosion of pleasure, milking his fingers.  He moved down and began to hum on her clit, licking it and teasing it with his tongue as he pumped his fingers inside her.  She cried out as she continued to ride out her orgasm, her body refusing to stop shuddering. 

 

As her body wound down, he pulled his fingers out of her, he lightly sucked her clit before pulling back.  He sat up and she quickly met him, taking his lips with hers.  Her modesty was gone, still needing him.  She wasn’t ready to lose her virginity, but she wanted him to know that right now, she needed his touch more than she needed air to breathe.

 

She pulled him back atop of her, kissing him with a hunger that surprised both of them.  Her hand moved down his body, her nails lightly tracing the flesh down.  She reached out to grasp his cock, gasping at how thick it was.  Her hand couldn’t quite fit around it, and it was long.  He was rock hard, and she began to blush more. 

 

“What’s wrong?” he asked her when she stopped kissing him.  She squeezed his cock, causing a moan to escape his lips. 

 

“You’re really big,” she said in a scared whisper.  There was no way she could fit him, especially if she couldn’t even fit her vibrator. 

 

He chuckled, placing his hand over hers, helping her stroke him.  “Don’t worry, I’m always gentle.”

 

“Pretty sure you won’t fit,” she gasped against his lips as she felt his tip touch her stomach.  He chuckled again.

 

“Stop, you’re making me blush,” he grunted. 

 

“I’ll have to get used to my vibrator before I take you for a spin,” she teased.  He chuckled.

 

She continued to stroke him, her touch delicate, afraid to apply too much pressure.  He finally took her hand away, kissing her softly. 

 

“Am I doing it wrong?” she asked, her eyes wide.  He shook his head and kissed her swollen lips. 

 

“No, but I can only take so much teasing.” He kissed her again, his hands cupping her face.  “We should probably stop here before I forget to keep my promise to you.”  He lay on his back, bringing Kagome with him so she rested on his chest.  Her head was tucked under his chin as his arm wrapped possessively around her waist.

 

“Yashiro… I had never… ah…touched a man before.” she said, embarrassment hanging thick in the air.

 

“I know.  I could tell.”

 

She blushed.  “It was that bad?”

 

“No, not at all, but it’s very obvious when a person is inexperienced.  Don’t worry, you’ll be a pro in no time.”  He kissed her hair, wrapping his other arm around her.  He turned to face her, pulling her close to him.  She could feel his excitement dying down, causing relief to flood her body. 

 

“Mmm,” she mumbled, burying her face in his chest. 

 

“Kagome?  Will you stay the night?”

 

She thought about it.  She really didn’t want to leave.  “Yeah, I will.”

 

His hand slid down to feel the curve of her hip, enjoying the feel of the softness of her skin.   She snuggled closer to him, letting out a satisfied sigh.  After a moment he got out of the bed.

 

“Where are you going?” she asked him, concern etched across her face.

 

“I need a cold shower, otherwise I’ll never fall asleep next to you,” he said, winking.  She blushed, covering herself up.  As he went to the bathroom, she went into his drawer and pulled out a pair of shorts and a t-shirt.  She figured that he wouldn’t mind if she wore his clothes.  She noticed a large trunk in the corner of the room.  She wanted to snoop, but she knew that being nosey didn’t sit well with him.  She shrugged, maybe after knowing him for a while she’d go snooping, but not tonight.  Not when today had gone so well.

 

_And ended so well,_ she thought to herself, blushing.  She crawled into the bed, smelling his scent on the linens.  She buried her face into the pillow, smelling the scent of pine and musk. 

 

_He smells just like Inuyasha._

She heard him come in a few minutes later, digging through his drawers.  He got into the bed a moment later, wearing a pair of sweatpants.  He gathered her in his arms, his hair wet from the shower.  She looked up at his face, seeing his hair was down.

 

Her breath hitched in her chest, choking back thoughts of Inuyasha as she watched him slowly drift off to sleep. 

 

-*-*-

 

It was New Year’s Eve and Kagome was at her mother’s house helping with the shrine for the New Year’s celebrations.  She was needed in the shop of the shrine to sell good luck charms, as well as telling the story of the sacred tree to visitors wanting to make wishes. 

 

She was worked to the bone, running back and forth all day, answering questions and ringing the bells of the shrine.  The day was cold and windy, but it was the Shrine’s busiest time of year, earning most of their income for the coming months. 

 

Kagome had spent the entire last week at Yashiro’s, only going to her apartment for her clothes, which she ended up washing at his place.  They would talk most of the time, fool around a little here and there, and she learned more and more about him.  She found that he liked to be kissed on his shoulder, that he was ticklish under his pecks, that he liked western-style breakfasts of fried eggs and toast.  She learned that he liked to read before going to sleep, and most of all, she learned that he had a more restful sleep if he was holding her. 

 

He would usually wake her up by kissing her slowly, his hand moving over her body, caressing her oh so gently.  She once woke up to him going down on her, and she started her day with an orgasm and a satisfied grin.  He never complained that she didn’t reciprocate his physicality, but she could tell that it was bothering him.  He would usually end the night with a cold shower, something she knew he couldn’t enjoy.  She could often hear him in the shower moaning, making her feel guilty for being unable to pleasure him like he had been pleasuring her.  He told her that he didn’t mind, but she suspected it did.  He never stopped trying to get her to go all the way, and while she was less nervous about sex now than she was when they first started dating, she had reservations for jumping in so quickly with him.

 

As the sun began to set, the business at the shrine began to die down.  She was finally able to relax, going into the house and getting a cup of tea from her mother.

 

“So, who is he?” her mother asked her, giving her a knowing smile.  Kagome froze.

 

“How’d you know?” she asked, decided that being honest would probably be the best policy.

 

“The hickey on your neck,” her mother replied, touching the dark red mark at the base of her neck.  Kagome turned bright red.

 

“Oh my god, I’m going to kill him,” she muttered.  Her mother began to laugh. 

 

“So when do I get to meet him?” her mother asked.

 

Kagome thought about it.  While they were moving fast, she wasn’t sure she was ready to introduce him to her family yet.  He was respectable enough, being a doctoral candidate at Tokyo University and a title fight winner in both Kung Fu and Kendo, but they were still pretty new into the relationship, having only dated a few weeks at this point. 

 

“Well we’ve only been dating for a few weeks,” Kagome admitted sheepishly.

 

“Well at least tell me about him!” her mother pressured.

 

“Well… he was my history professor.  Right after finals we went on a date and we clicked really well.  He’s not old!” Kagome quickly said when she saw that her mother had a concerned look.  “He’s 28, and he’s working on his doctorate.  He lives close by and I got to know him outside the classroom because he comes into the bookshop I work at a lot.”

 

Her mother looked relieved when Kagome said that he was younger.  “He must be something special since nobody could replace Inuyasha.”

 

“Well that’s the thing,” Kagome began to say.  “He looks exactly like Inuyasha, and he’s a lot like him.”

 

Her mother raised her eyebrows in question.  “Really,” she said.

 

“Honestly, I think he could be Inuyasha’s reincarnation,” Kagome said thoughtfully.  The more time she spent with him, the more convinced she was that he was Inuyasha’s reincarnation.  There were just so many little things about him that led her to that conclusion.  She now understood Inuyasha’s going back and forth between her and Kikyo--- there were so many similarities, that it was hard to differentiate the two.  She was falling in love with Yashiro very quickly, and it began to scare her.

 

“Well, maybe Inuyasha was determined to find you in his next life, and this young man is him,” her mother offered, squeezing Kagome’s shoulder.  Kagome smiled at her mother, glad that she understood.  “But I still want to meet him.  In a few weeks, bring him over for dinner.”

 

Kagome froze, this was going to be hard to break to Yashiro.  As someone who didn’t really have a family, she couldn’t imagine that he would be game to meet her family.  She felt her phone buzz and saw that he was texting her.

 

**Are you done working at the shrine yet?  I was invited to a party and I don’t want to go without you.**

She smiled.  **I’ve been working all day, I’m in no mood to go to a party, but I am nearly done at the shrine.  By the way, my mother wants to meet the guy who put a hickey on my neck.**

She followed her mother into the kitchen where her mother had made her a bento box to take home for the night.  “Thank you mama!” Kagome said, giving her mom a kiss on the cheek.  She took the bento box and put on her shoes when her phone buzzed again.

 

**Didn’t want any guys thinking you were single, had to mark my territory ;)**

Kagome rolled her eyes. **You’re insane.  I’m leaving the Shrine now and getting on a train back to my apartment.  Have fun at your party, but I’ve got a bento box and a bottle of wine with my name on it.**

She put her phone away and walked around the shrine for a bit.  She saw the building that housed the bone eaters well, her heart sinking.  She hadn’t been back there in months now.  She looked around the shrine to make sure that nobody was looking, and walked over.  She went in, the well looking as ominous as it always did.  She touched the aged wood on the edge of the well, looking down into blackness. 

 

The familiar emptiness filled her up once more, dark thoughts returning.  She felt a tear escape her eye as she stared into the abyss of the well.  It still wouldn’t open.  She felt a sob escape her lips, wracking her entire body as she began to cry.  She wailed, calling his name as she fell to her knees, wishing that she could be with Inuyasha again.  She still missed him, she still wanted him. 

 

The face of Yashiro came into her mind as she cried, making her feel guilty.  She was keeping him at arms-length because of her infatuation with someone she could never see again.  The guilt consumed her entire body as she cried, wishing that she could make up her mind on what she wanted.  She wanted both men, she needed them, yet here she was alone by the well, wishing for what she could not have.

 

She began to calm down, her body no longer shaking so much.  She left the old building, closing the doors behind her.  She walked to the train station, getting on the last train back into the student district of Tokyo.  She tried to enjoy the peace and quiet on the train, but all she could think about was Inuyasha.  She knew that the bottle of wine she bought would be enjoyed in her bathtub, thinking of her time in the feudal age.    Another tear slipped out of her eye, she felt like such a fool.  She felt truly alone, unable to comprehend the indecisiveness of her heart.

 

She heard her phone buzz, knowing Yashiro was texting her.

 

**That sounds like way more fun than a party.  I love bento boxes!**

She let herself smile a little bit.  She knew he was in a bit of a silly mood.  Classes were starting in six days, and they’d both have crazy busy schedules.  He had even told her that he was trying to take advantage of being able to see her so often since they wouldn’t likely have this time ever again. 

 

She reached her stop and got off the train, walking the six blocks to her apartment.  She stared up at her building, feeling conflicted.  She wanted to go home, but she was starting to feel like this wasn’t home anymore.  She hadn’t really been here in a week.  She thought of Yashiro, how at home he made her feel.  She was realizing that she was falling in love with him, while her heart was still fighting to be in love with someone who she hadn’t been with for over five years.

 

More tears slipped out as she stood outside the building, hanging onto her bag with white knuckles.  She felt guilty for no longer being lonely because she knew that Inuyasha was likely lonely for her.  There were times where her heart ached and she knew it was because Inuyasha was likely calling her name.  She sighed, going up to her apartment.  She began to draw a bath when she replied to Yashiro.

 

**I’m tired, please don’t text me anymore tonight.**

She put her phone on the kitchen counter, putting the wine in the fridge to chill.  She went to her bathroom and undressed, stepping into the pool of hot water.  She felt herself relax as she fully submerged herself, more tears slipping out of her eyes.  She wondered if she would ever stop missing Inuyasha, ever loving him.

 

_No, I don’t suppose I will._

A sob escaped her lips as she drew her knees up to her chin, holding herself as she cried in the tub.  She was feeling sorry for herself, but most of all, she was feeling guilty for leading Yashiro on.  It wasn’t fair to him that he was with someone who didn’t give her entire heart to him as he was giving to her.

 

_I don’t even know if he loves me though,_ she reasoned with herself. 

 

When her fingers were wrinkled and the bathwater getting cold, she got out and dried herself off.  She put on a set of pajamas and saw that it was about ten o’clock and she had four missed messages from Yashiro.

 

**Are you alright?**

**What’s wrong?**

**Do you want to talk?**

**Please respond :(**

His concern touched her.  She decided to not let him worry and sent him a response

 

**I’m fine, just feeling sorry for myself.  I’m really tired though, I’m going to enjoy my wine and go to bed.**

She turned on her computer to watch movies as she poured herself a glass of wine.  Her phone remained unusually silent.  Usually he would text her non stop.  She was starting to feel sorry for herself again, thinking that maybe she scared him off.  Another tear slipped out but she wiped it away quickly.

 

“Kagome, you’ve got to stop crying,” she mumbled to herself.  “It isn’t healthy.”

 

She finished her glass of wine and went to the kitchen to pour another glass when she heard a knock at the door.  Confused on who could be there, she looked through the peep hole to see Yashiro.

 

She opened the door slowly, hoping that it hadn’t been obvious she had been crying most of the evening, but the concern on his face from when he saw her betrayed her. 

 

“Can I come in?” he asked gently.  She stood aside and let him enter.  He took his shoes and coat off, watching her maneuver around the kitchen to get him a glass for the wine. 

 

He followed her silently, never taking his gaze off of her.  She knew that he could tell something was off, but she tried to suppress it, attempting to give off a cheery demeanor.

 

“I wasn’t expecting you to come over so late,” she said, her voice a little too chipper.  His face remained neutral as he watched her.

 

“I was worried.  You weren’t being yourself,” he said carefully, taking the glass of wine she offered him.  She tried to give him a smile, but she cracked, letting a tear fall down her cheek.

 

He put his glass down and pulled her into an embrace.  She clung onto him, inhaling his scent with all her might.  She let out a choked sob, her body shaking from what was likely years of loneliness escaping her body.  He didn’t move, letting her soak his t-shirt with her salted tears.  His hand rubbed her back, remaining still so she could express the loneliness she had built up over the years.

 

He kissed her hair, petting her gently.  After a few moments she began to calm down, squeezing him with all her strength.  She needed him right now, she needed strong arms to hold her up as she felt her world was falling apart.  She missed the first man she ever loved with such ferocity that she didn’t know if she could go on living.  The man before her was such a heavy reminder that she felt guilty for falling in love with him while she still pined for another. 

 

_I think I’m in love with Yashiro,_ she thought to herself.  She knew that she felt so alone when he wasn’t around, that she didn’t wake up with aching loneliness when she woke up in his arms.  When she was with him, she forgot her flaws and she forgot what the loneliness had felt like, but after going to the well, everything rushed back to her with a force she hadn’t been anticipating. 

 

“Want to talk about it?” he asked her gently, squeezing her.  She shook her head in dissent. 

 

“It’s complicated,” she mumbled, pulling away to look at him.  His face was etched with concern.  “I’ll tell you someday.”

 

“Just promise me that someone didn’t make you cry,” he said softly, his thumb wiping away the tear that was on her cheek.

 

_You don’t know the half of it,_ she thought to herself.  “No, like I said, it’s complicated.  But you’re here now, and that’s all that matters.”  She leaned up and gave him a soft kiss on his lips.   It was incredibly tender, filling her heart with warmth.  She felt the loneliness that had encompassed her wash away as they kissed.  When the kiss broke, she broke away from his embrace and picked up her glass of wine.

 

“Want to stick around and watch a movie with me?” she asked him.  He didn’t quite look like he believed she was alright, but he picked up his glass and followed her to her bed.  She snuggled up to him, enjoying his warmth, breathing his scent like it were a drug.  He didn’t put any moves on her the entire evening.  He just held her, occasionally kissing her hair, never letting her go.

 

It was all she really needed. 


	8. Yashiro's Secret Revealed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kagome goes snooping only to find what Yashiro had been hiding all this time.

Classes started a week ago, and Kagome was busier than she had ever been.  Between classes and work, she only had three free nights a week, which were usually dedicated to studying.  Yashiro was teaching a night class one of her free nights, so she tried her best to get her homework done on the nights he was teaching, but her workload had increased since her last semester, making her exhausted.

 

It was two weeks since New Year’s, and while Kagome knew that Yashiro was wondering why she was so emotional, he never asked her about it.  However, he became more of a mother hen, checking up on her more often, pushing her to stay at his place more often.  She was sure he was afraid that she’d cry if she were alone, and while she had been emotional a couple of times since New Year’s, being so busy  had definitely taken her mind off of Inuyasha and her growing feelings for Yashiro. 

 

Two days after classes had started, Yashiro gave a key to his apartment to Kagome.  He told her that if she ever wanted to study at his apartment and use his books, she was welcome to.  He also hinted that he’d kill for more of her cooking.  She kept his key on her own key ring, afraid to use it. 

 

She kept remembering the trunk in his bedroom, curious as to what was in it.  A lot of people used trunks as decoration, but his was kind of hidden in his bedroom.  She had asked him in passing about the trunk and he stiffened up, saying that it was just storage.  She wondered what he was hiding.

 

She began to do her laundry at Yashiro’s every Monday night, and in exchange she’d cook him dinner, something he never complained about.  He began to fully stock his fridge so she wouldn’t even have to go grocery shopping, and whenever she cooked, he would complain she was making him fat, pointing at the fake flab on his well-muscled abs. 

 

The fooling around had begun to slow down with the start of classes, both of them exhausted from school and work.  He was a full time student, she realized, while teaching full time.  He taught four classes and often when she was doing homework, he would be grading papers and writing his own papers for his dissertation.  There were many evenings where they would sit at his dining room table, playing footsie while they did their homework. 

 

For Kagome, being in his presence was fulfilling.  He kept the loneliness away with his laugh and his smile.  His touch made her feel sexy, something she had never felt before.  She felt lonely when he was gone and she felt complete when he was near.  She had realized that although they had only dated for around six weeks, she was head over heels in love with him, and it scared her.

 

It was Tuesday, she was off work at 7, and Yashiro was teaching a night class until 9.  She didn’t really feel like going home once she clocked out.  She looked at her key ring, staring at Yashiro’s key.  She hadn’t used it yet, and she knew he wouldn’t mind.  Why else would he give it to her? 

 

She stopped at the grocery store and picked up ingredients to make a chicken and veggie stir fry, hoping to surprise him with a full meal.  By the time she got to his apartment, it was nearing 8.  She didn’t have class until 10 the next morning and he didn’t teach until 11, so they could stay up later and chat. 

 

She let herself into his apartment, enjoying the smell of pine as she walked in.  The smell had an instant effect on her, filling her chest with warmth and leaving the loneliness at the door.  She shut the door and began to cut the veggies and chicken, cooking rather quickly.  The rice was cooking in the cooker and by ten to 9, the food was ready. 

 

She didn’t want to start without him, so she did the dishes.  It was 9, he should be leaving the university soon.  He shouldn’t be home for at least twenty minutes.

 

The trunk in his bedroom was nagging her mind.  She was dying to know what was inside.  He had stiffened when she asked him what was in it, but he never technically said it was off limits.  She shrugged, what’s the worst it could be?

 

She went into his bedroom and moved the books off the top of it.  She stared at it, feeling nervous.  She felt like she was betraying him, going through his stuff.

 

_What’s seriously the worst it could be?_

She stared at the trunk for a solid five minutes, trying to decide if it was worth it.  There was no lock on it.  If he really didn’t want anyone to see what was inside, he would have locked it.

 

She opened it and was taken back.  There were literally dozens of pornos in the trunk.  All movies, neatly arranged, filling the trunk. 

 

“What the hell?” she muttered under her breath.  She picked up a couple of them, seeing the women on the cover, all of them having a theme of big dicks.

 

“I guess he likes to watch fantasies close to what he’s like,” she muttered, looking at the movies.  They all had the same theme, some of them were BDSM, some were a little more vanilla.  She was embarrassed to be looking at the movies.  She couldn’t hardly look at him naked, and it looked like he had a hobby of watching porn.

 

  She began to notice that they all had the same staring male actor: Henry Horse Cock.  She wondered why he had so many pornos starring the same actor.  _You’d think he’d want a little variety…_

 

“What are you doing?” she heard a voice say.  She turned to see Yashiro in the doorway, his face set in stone.  He didn’t look angry, if anything, he looked… scared?

 

“I’m sorry! I was just curious as to what was in the trunk!” she said, dropping the movies.  “You know, I know all guys like porn… but that’s a lot of porn.”

 

His face remained unmoved, he looked uneasy. 

 

“Yashiro, are you alright?”

 

He looked at the trunk and she could see he was visibly shaking.  She picked up one of the movies that had a picture of the actor Henry Horse Cock.  It was a young man with a muscular body, long black hair, with wisps around his face… and sapphire eyes…

 

Her heart sunk in her chest.  Realization dawned on her, and she felt dirty. 

 

“Kagome I can explain,” he began to say, his voice shaking.  She dropped the movie, staring at him. 

  
“Yashiro, what is this?” she said, referring to the trunk filled with porn.

 

He stepped towards her.  “It’s not what you think, I don’t do that anymore.”

 

“You’re a porn actor?” she muttered.

 

“Not anymore,” he began to say, but she ran past him, running to the door.  She began to put on her shoes frantically, but he appeared behind her, grabbing her arm.  “Kagome, please let me explain---“

 

“I don’t want to hear it!” she cried.  Tears were stinging her eyes.  “I can’t believe you!  You said that you worked odd jobs, is this what odd jobs means?”  He didn’t say anything, looking ashamed.  Kagome began to pace, working to keep her emotions in check and failing miserably.  “This is what Hojo was trying to warn me about!  Womanizer!  Porn star!  What else have you done?  Are you a male escort too?”

 

“No, it’s not like that!  Kagome, please listen, I can explain everything,” he was saying frantically, his face growing more ashen with each word.  He looked incredibly guilty, like a little boy who had been caught.

 

“I need to leave,” she blurted out, “I can’t even look at you!”

 

He stepped back as she put on her coat.  She grabbed her purse and slammed the door behind her.

 

She walked home, tears stinging her eyes the entire way.  She felt betrayed.  All the things he had said to her made sense now.

 

_I find your innocence refreshing_

_I used to be a womanizer._

_Never dated a girl who could cook_

_You could say I’m experienced_

He was experienced all right.  There had to have been at least 60 dvds in that trunk, all starring him.  He was used to dating girls who had sex for a living.  That explained why he was so good at all the fooling around, so knowledgeable about toys, why he seemed so at ease when he found her in the sex store.  Why he seemed so unnerved about being intimate with her, while she was scared to go too far.

 

She got to her apartment and slammed the door.  She began to pace her apartment, thinking the worst.

 

_What if I got some sort of disease?  What if he’s been seeing girls on the side, which is why he’s been patient with me?  Is he laughing at how innocent I am?_

She heard her phone ring.  She saw that it was Yashiro calling.  She ignored the call.  A moment later her phone rang again.  She ignored it and saw that he had texted her several times.

 

**Kagome, please call me.  I can explain.**

**Please pick up your phone.**

**It’s not what you think.**

**Will you please just let me explain?**

“Ahh!” she yelled, turning her phone off and throwing it on her bed.  Her imagination began to run wild, imagining him in the arms of so many beautiful women.  He had told her several times she was beautiful, but she saw the women on the covers of those movies.  He had been with women far more attractive than her, who were more voluptuous than her. 

 

She was so angry.  He had _lied_ to her flat out.  There was no way he was the reincarnation of Inuyasha.  He was nothing like him.  Inuyasha didn’t womanize to that degree.  With the number of movies, he’s probably been with hundreds of women.  Hell, she wouldn’t be surprised if he had been with other women while they had been dating. 

 

She began to sob, curling up in a ball on the floor, wailing.  _Had he been seeing other women while we were together?_

She had fallen in love with someone who likely didn’t see her as anything but a conquest.  Her imagination went wild, wondering if he had a running tally of different girls he had been with.  She wondered where she fit on the list.  Probably the girl who could cook.  Tally that.

 

He had been acting jealous when her ex-boyfriend from middle school, whom she had never even held hands with, while he had a history like that?  What kind of bullshit was that?

 

She was half tempted to go back to his apartment and slap him.  He had some nerve to act the way he did.  The first time they had coffee, he made a comment that the boys in the class looked at her in a certain way, she wondered if he had been jealous then too.

 

She stared at her phone on the bed. 

 

She wanted answers, but she couldn’t ask him tonight.  She was too upset.  She crawled into bed, crying until she fell into a dreamless sleep.

 

-*-*-

 

Yashiro paced his apartment, having called Kagome at least ten times.  He ran his hands through his hair in frustration, pacing back and forth, angry at himself for having the collection of his previous work, angry that she had been snooping, but most of all, angry that he had kept his history from her.

 

He knew that his history was a tender subject for most women.  They always thought the worst.  She asked him if he was a male escort, would it bother her to find out that for a little while, he was?  He was seventeen and starving to death on the streets, being an escort saved him from homelessness.  Getting into the adult film industry got him an apartment so he didn’t have to couch surf anymore, it put food in his stomach so he didn’t starve, it paid his way completely through college so that he didn’t have to work in the industry anymore.

 

He wasn’t ashamed of it, hell, he still talked to people he had worked with while he worked in the industry.  He had a lot of friends still who worked doing that, but he had no interest in it anymore.  Two of his ex-girlfriends were famous porn stars.  But he wasn’t proud of it either.  He got into it during a low point in his life, unsure of what to do.  He didn’t have any family to speak of, he was alone in the world.  Kagome came from a loving family, she had a support system.

 

He had no one.

 

He got a glass of water and drank it, his hand shaking in rage.  He slammed the glass on the counter, cutting his hand.  He had a huge cut, and he stared at it, getting more pissed. 

 

He really fucked up.

 

He just wanted to explain that it wasn’t what she thought.  _Well, it kind of is,_ he thought to himself.  He hadn’t been in a movie in over two years.  As soon as he got the teaching position he quit working in the industry and focused on school.  Yeah, he slept around a bit, but never with unwilling patrons.  He enjoyed when a woman wanted to sleep with him, not because it was her job.

 

He rinsed his hand off and wrapped it in gauze, blood seeping through.  He was probably going to have to go to the ER and get stitches.  Fuck.

 

“Kagome, answer your phone,” he muttered as her number went straight to voicemail.  He hung up, frustrated beyond belief.  He didn’t know what to do.

 

He hoped that this wasn’t the end.  He had really grown to care for her.  He wasn’t sure if he was in love with her, but he had never really been in love.  He had infatuation for women before, and he always cared about the women he was in relationships with, but Kagome was different.  There was a deeper underlying emotion there that he hadn’t really felt before.  They had a connection that drew him to her.  He never liked spending a lot of time with the women he dated, but he couldn’t get enough of Kagome.  She was like heroin and he was the user, never getting enough.

 

He finally went to bed, tossing and turning, unable to get any sleep.

 

-*-*-

 

Kagome didn’t go to class for the next two days, and she called in sick to work.  She was emotional, her eyes puffy from all the crying she did.  The loneliness had come back with a force she was unable to shake off.  Every time she checked her phone, she had a new text message from Yashiro or a missed call.  She finally left her phone off for the entire day, not wanting to be reminded of her torment.

 

He hadn’t tried to come to her apartment, at least that she knew of.  She peaked out her window and saw that he wasn’t there, and her heart sank.  She was glad for the space, but her heart was hollow, her body feeling like a burnt out husk, craving the affection she had become accustomed to being with him. 

 

On the third day after the incident, she went to class, careful to avoid the areas she knew he frequented.  Her grades began to slip a little bit, but she was able to get extra credit to make up for the classes she missed.  She went to work, her eyes still puffy and red from all the crying, but nobody questioned her about it.  When she got off work at six, she didn’t know where to go.  It was Friday night.  Yashiro always came to her work when she clocked out so they could go shopping for dinner, where they’d watch a movie and maybe more.

 

She waited in the coffee shop part of her work, wondering if he would show.  In a way, she wanted him to fight for her.  She thought of Inuyasha, who had gone out of his way to fight with her, and fight for her, no matter what.  Yashiro hadn’t stopped texting her and calling her, but his actual presence was missing.

 

She stared at the coffee in front of her, watching a tear fall into it.  She waited thirty minutes before leaving the coffee shop.  She walked home slowly, hoping that he would appear.  Her heart ached for him.

 

The next day, she lay in bed staring at the ceiling.  She was so infatuated with him after such a short time.  She had grown so accustomed to him that she didn’t feel like herself without him near. 

 

She checked her phone, he had texted her twice that morning.

 

**Will you please just talk to me?**

**I miss you.**

She just stared at her phone, tears stinging her eyes.  She missed him too, but she felt betrayed.  She felt like she didn’t even know him. 

 

She hadn’t returned a single one of his texts or calls.  She was angry and hurt.  She wanted to know why he didn’t tell her.  _Well, he was probably afraid of how I’d react… Which right now is exactly what he was afraid of._

She rolled on her stomach, hugging her pillow.  She was off work today, and she had homework to do, but she wasn’t in the mindset to do homework. 

 

She wanted to go to Yashiro’s and demand to know why he didn’t tell her, but she knew that if she saw him, she’d likely lose her resolve.  He made her so weak in the knees.  He gave her emotions that she didn’t know she could feel anymore, he compelled her to challenge her own boundaries and took her to heights that she didn’t know were possible to reach.

 

She would stare into his face and see Inuyasha, something that still stung her heart.  She let out a sob.  She didn’t want to be without him.  But she didn’t know how she could still be with him knowing his history.

 

She got dressed and decided to go for a walk.  She needed fresh air to clear her mind. 

 

As she walked through the streets of Tokyo, her mind began to analyze the situation with a little more clarity.

 

She realized that he never technically lied to her.  He avoided the topic actively, but he never flat out lied to her.  When she asked him if he was a womanizer, he said he wasn’t anymore, stating he preferred the stability of a relationship.  She wondered if that was true.  She remembered that he was in the foster care system as a child, living on his own as a teenager.  Was this one of the odd jobs he refused to talk about?  Probably. 

 

The wind picked up, causing her to shiver.  She looked up and realized that she had walked to Yashiro’s apartment building without even realizing it.  Even her feet were telling her she needed to hear him out.  She figured that he at least deserved to be able to explain himself. 

 

Her feet were locked into place.  She was afraid to go up, her mind reeling with what the scenario would bring.  Would he be up there with another woman?  Would he be angry at her?  Would he be crying?

 

How would she act when she saw him?  She wondered if she could keep her resolve or if she would run into his arms crying.  She told herself that she would hold her resolve, but there was heavy doubt in her mind.  She ached for him like she had ached for Inuyasha.  Her entire body was encased in loneliness and longing for him.  Every fiber of her being was calling out to him, wanting him to just hold her. 

 

She stared up to where his window was and saw the blinds were drawn.  He may not even be awake yet. 

 

She took a deep breath, and pulled out the key he gave her.  She stared at it, wondering if she should talk to him.  She kept talking herself in and out of talking to him, and she realized that she was being petty.  What he did with other women before they met was truly none of her business, just as her time with Inuyasha was technically none of his.  She should be focusing on what he had been doing since they started dating, and he had spent an unusual amount of time with her, telling her of his life, sharing laughs.

 

She remembered New Year’s Eve.  He was worried about her and sought her out, letting her salt his shirt with her tears and he never asked why she was crying.  He just held her, letting her cry it out, acting the part of a perfect gentleman the entire evening.  He would visit her at work and buy her coffee, complimenting her at every chance.  He took great care of her needs in intimacy, never asking for anything in return.

 

And she finds out he has a dark past and she ran away.

 

She felt a tear run down her cheek.  She felt like she was a terrible person.  She squeezed the key painfully in her hand.  She needed to hear him out.

 

She went into his building and got into the elevator, taking her to his floor.  She walked slowly down the hallway, her mind reeling.  She was so afraid to see him.

 

She knocked on his door, waiting for it to open.  After a moment it opened and she saw Yashiro, her heart sinking. 

 

His eyes were bloodshot and puffy, much like her own.  His shirt was wrinkled, his hair was tangled and standing out at odd ends.  His face had a look of sadness that she had never seen on his usually cool demeanor.

 

“Kagome,” he whispered, his eyes wide with surprise.

 

Her feet were planted to the floor as she stared at him, feeling her anger melt away.  Her eyes began to fill with tears, staring at him. 

 

“Yashiro!” she sobbed, running into his arms, squeezing him tightly.  He stepped back, burying his face into her neck, squeezing her with all his strength.  He pulled her into the apartment, shutting the door and pushing her against the door, leaning against it for support.  They fell to their knees, hanging onto each other for dear life.

 

“Kagome,” he whispered against her neck.  His voice was so soft, she barely heard him say her name.    


	9. Working past the barriers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kagome and Yashiro talk it out. Additionally, Kagome meets someone from Yashiro's past...

Kagome and Yashiro didn’t move, both afraid the other would leave again.  Kagome began to feel the loneliness leave her heart once again.  She inhaled deeply, taking in Yashiro’s natural perfume, feeling her mind being transported to Feudal Japan. 

 

“Yashiro, I’m sorry,” she whispered into his neck. 

 

He squeezed her tighter.  “Will you listen to what I have to say?” he whispered into her neck, his voice having an edge of fear to it.

 

“Yes,” she sighed, feeling his shoulders slump in relief.  He pulled back, wiping the tears from her face.  “I’m sorry I overacted, but it was just such a bombshell…”

 

He nodded.  “I was afraid to tell you, most people don’t know that about me.”

 

She leaned her face into his hand, closing her eyes.  “I understand.  But will you explain it to me?”

 

He stood up, helping her to her feet.  He held her hand, afraid to let her go, as he led her to his couch.  She sat next to him, their thighs touching as he squeezed her hand.

 

“When I was fifteen, my foster family threw me out of the house.  I was homeless for a while,” he began to tell her, his eyes downcast.  “I told you my mother died when I was young, my father was a diplomat who had impregnated her and died shortly after I was born.  She was his mistress, it was complicated.  He left us penniless.  My mother worked two jobs and I was alone a lot.  When she died, I bounced around foster homes, being horribly abused.”  She squeezed his hand, urging him to go on.  “When I was fifteen I was getting into trouble, stealing, getting into fights.  I was full of anger.  While I was homeless I would do odd jobs so I could survive, usually couch surfing or sleeping in alleyways.  When I was seventeen I was propositioned to be an escort,” his voice cracked.  Kagome’s eyes went wide with surprise.

 

“So you were an escort?” she asked, feeling the jealousy rise up in her throat.

 

“Just a few times.  It got me enough money to get a little apartment.  Same building you’re in now.”

 

She remembered the first time he saw her apartment, he had disliked it.  That explained why.  “As soon as I turned eighteen, I saw an ad in the paper looking for adult performers.  I was good looking enough, and I was able to get work right away.  It paid really well, so I was able to go back and graduate high school.  Shortly after that I got into Tokyo University studying history.  However, you know how college students struggle, and I had no help except my own, so I kept doing it.”

 

She wanted to be angry, but his situation had been dire.  “Did you… enjoy the work?”

 

He shrugged.  “Sometimes, I’d be lying if I said I hated it.  I met a lot of really wonderful people in the industry.  Some of them came from good homes, some of them were like me, bounced around in foster care.  For the most part, we all kind of became family.  I didn’t have to work a lot to pay the bills, and I was good at it.”

 

She thought for a moment.  “How long did you work in the… industry?”

 

He hesitated.  “Eight years.  I quit two years ago when I got offered a teaching position when I started my doctoral studies.”

 

She considered it.  Two years is a long time to not have worked in the industry.  People can change a lot in two years.  “Do you… do you still talk to people in the industry?”

 

He nodded.  “Not often, but I do occasionally go to parties and have lunch with a few of them.”

 

“Did you date any of the… actresses?”

 

He nodded again.  “I dated two, they’re still in the industry.  But it wasn’t anything serious.  I only dated each of them for a few months.  We didn’t really click.”

 

She felt jealousy rise up again.  “Do you still talk to them?”

 

He was hesitant to answer, but finally he spoke.  “I talk to one of them, she’s one of my best friends.  I’ve told her a lot about you.  She wants to meet you, but I told her it probably wasn’t a good idea.”

 

Kagome was surprised to hear that.  “You’ve told her about me?”

 

His eyebrows raised in surprise.  “Of course.  You remember that day that you were having lunch with your friends and you accidentally called me?  We were having lunch and she was helping me text you.  I’m really bad with being overly direct, she was trying to help me with being more subtle.  I showed her a picture of you last time I saw her, she thought you were cute.”

 

Kagome could feel a little bit of anger rise up.  “But you didn’t think to tell me about her.”

 

He looked like a deer staring into headlights.  “I was afraid of you knowing my work history… Telling you my best friend is a famous porn actress would be difficult to explain.”

 

She began to calm down a bit.  She had to give him that one.  “So, when I can meet her?”

 

He smiled.  “Anytime you want.”

 

She released his hand and began to fidget.  “When you said my innocence was refreshing… Were you lying?”

 

“No.  I really did find it refreshing.  I had never been… intimate with a girl who was inexperienced.  I had always been wary of innocent girls, but there’s something special about you.”

 

She smiled at that.  “I know this may sound like a strange request… but I’ve never seen a porn before, and I’m really inexperienced…”  
  
“Kagome, just spit it out.”

 

“Can we watch one?” she squeaked.  Her face turned a deep shade of red, and when she looked up, she saw he was blushing too. 

 

“Why on earth would you want to watch one?” he finally asked, his voice exasperated.

 

“Well, I want to understand it.  The things you’ve done with me… I didn’t even know that those were options, so what else am I missing out on?  And I have a lot of questions.”

 

He was floored.  She kept staring at her hands, fidgeting nervously.  He thought that she wanted to split up, and now she was asking to watch a porn with him, and not just any porn, a porn he starred in.

 

“Let me find one that’s… not too crazy,” he replied in a nervous tone.  He got up and went into his bedroom.  She could hear him digging around in the trunk, but a few minutes later he returned with a movie in hand.  “This one is one of my tamer videos.  It was a little earlier in my career.”

 

He put it in the dvd player and it had an opening scene of a young girl, probably Kagome’s age, dressed in a school uniform with an unusually short skirt.  It looked an awful lot like her middle school uniform.  Kagome noticed that the shirt was shorter than normal, showing off her flat stomach. 

 

“Professor, I need to get an A… What can I do to get an A?” she heard the girl ask.  The camera turned to a young Yashiro, wearing an oversized suit and tie.  His hair wasn’t nearly as long as it is now, and he was wearing clunky glasses.  He looked really young.

 

“You can work for it,” he said, and weird music began to play.  The girl crawled on his desk, leaning in to kiss him.  Kagome felt jealousy rise up in a degree she wasn’t expecting.  She didn’t like seeing him kiss another girl.

 

She noticed though that he didn’t seem into it, at least not like when he kissed her.  The girl ripped his shirt open, kissing down his abs.  She unbuckled his pants and his erection sprung free, causing Kagome to blush. 

 

“Wow professor, you’re so big,” the girl on the screen said seductively, putting him in her mouth.

 

Kagome felt her face turn bright red.  “I’m guessing that’s a blow job?” she asked, her voice sounding unusually squeaky. 

 

He gave her a sideways glance, a blush still touching his cheeks.  “Yeah.  I hated this scene.  It was so bad.”

 

The girl was sucking on Yashiro in the movie, making loud slurping sounds as she took all of him in her mouth, making Kagome’s mouth drop.  Yashiro crinkled his nose. 

 

“Are you sure you want to keep watching this?” he asked her, hoping she’d want to stop.  She shook her head.

 

“Yep, I do,” she said, stubbornness taking over. 

 

They continued to watch in silence as the movie played out.  After she finished giving him a blow job, she laid out on the desk, touching herself.  She began to finger herself, moaning loudly.  She could see the Yashiro on the screen begin to finger her very roughly. 

 

“So uh, do you prefer being rough?” she asked him, nearly afraid of his answer.

 

“No, I prefer to take my time.  I thought you would have figured that out by now.”

 

“I thought you were taking it slow for me,” she mumbled, looking back at her hands.  She looked over to him and he was still blushing, avoiding her gaze.

 

“I was, but I still prefer to take my time.  There’s a time and place for every kind, I don’t mind rough once in a while, but usually I like to have a lot of time to really enjoy it.”

 

The movie continued, Yashiro positioning himself so that his cock was in her mouth as he went down on her.  Kagome was blushing, but mesmerized at the action being performed in the film.

 

“What are you guys doing here?”

 

“It’s called a sixty-nine.  Going down on each other.”

 

She blushed, that was something she hadn’t really thought of before.  She thought that doing that would be kind of fun, giving each other pleasure at the same time.  That way, she knew he would be enjoying himself as much as she was.  A moment later he positioned himself and began to thrust inside of the actress.  Her moans were almost screams as he pounded into her at a vigorous pace.

 

“Uh, do you like it when girls are loud?”

 

He scrunched his nose.  “Not like that.  That actress has a habit of screaming at the top of her lungs, and it’s just obnoxious.”  He looked over and saw Kagome fidgeting again.  “However,” he continued, reaching over to touch her hand.  “If they’re honest screams of pleasure, not fake like hers are, then I’m into it.”

 

“Is that one of your exes?” Kagome asked, finally making eye contact with him.

 

“Oh god no, I can’t stand her.  She and I did three or four scenes together and I specifically asked my agent to never let me work with her again.”

 

“Oh, you’ve done scenes with the same person multiple times?” she was surprised to hear that.

 

“Oh yeah, there’s not a huge surplus of porn stars.  One girl I did twenty scenes with, and I didn’t date her either.  I’m still friends with her though, she and I occasionally get drinks.”

 

Kagome felt jealousy rise up.  She saw that the movie had changed positions.  The actress was bent over the desk as he began to pound into her.  She could hear the flesh clapping, making her face blush more.  “So, is it a trick of the camera… or are you really that big?”

 

He grinned.  “I’m actually bigger now than I was then.  I was nineteen in this video.”

 

Her blush deepened, if that was possible.  He looked enormous in the video, and she had gotten a glance at his size in the past, not realizing just how big he was.  “So, how many girls have you been with?”

 

“Do you really want the answer to that?” he asked her soberly.

 

She thought about it for a moment.  She slowly nodded.

 

“A little over two hundred.”

 

Her jaw dropped.  “Yashiro!”

 

“I told you I was a womanizer.  But I stopped womanizing about a year ago.  It got… lonely,” he said thoughtfully.  “I had a few dates with a girl about six months ago, but it didn’t go anywhere.  I had decided to take a break from dating when I met you.  I think that’s how it always works.  You’re looking for something and you can’t find it, and as soon as you give up, you meet someone who changes your mind again.”

 

She smiled at that.  She looked back on the screen and he could see the girl giving him a blow job again.  “Yeah, I think I’m done.”  He couldn’t turn the television off fast enough. 

 

They sat in silence for a few minutes, avoiding each other’s gazes.  “Can I still ask questions?” she asked him bashfully.

 

“Of course,” he replied with surprise in his voice. 

 

“What’s your favorite position?” she blurted out.  He chuckled.

 

“Usually I like the girl on top.  I know I won’t hurt her that way.  Gives her control, also, then I have free hands to wander.”

 

“Ah… What’s your favorite thing to do or receive when… doing that,” she couldn’t bring herself to say _having sex._ She felt extremely bashful, considering they just watched a porn together, considering all the fooling around they did…

 

“Honestly?  I like to go down on a girl.  If she’s not having fun, it’s not fun.  I don’t need a girl to do anything for me, as long as she’s having fun, I’m enjoying myself.”

 

“So you never really minded that I never reciprocated?” she said, scooting closer to him. 

 

“Nope.  It was cute when you tried though,” he said, his hand moving up to grasp her chin, lifting her face.  “I like it best when I hear you moan my name.  That’s my favorite.”

 

She blushed at that.  “It’s my turn to ask questions,” he told her, leaning his face in closer to hers.  “How far had you gone with a guy before me?”

 

She was afraid to answer.  She looked down, fidgeting more.  “I was kissed once…” 

 

He raised his eyebrows in surprise. “That’s all?”

 

She nodded.  “That’s it.”

 

“Was it that Hojo guy?”

 

She shook her head, thinking of the silver haired hanyou.  “No, it was someone else.”  She averted her gaze from him.

 

He turned her face back to his.  “Kagome… Can I kiss you?” he whispered, his face extremely close to hers.  She could feel his breath on her face, smell his breath.  She leaned in and kissed him softly, feeling her body fill with warmth.  His hands cupped her face, letting a soft moan escape his lips. 

 

When the kiss broke, he held her face close to his.  “I meant what I said, that you’re not a conquest.  Since I’ve met you, you’re all I’ve been able to think about.  This last week has been hell on me… I thought I’d lost you.”

 

“It’s been hell on me too,” she whispered.  “I’ve only been in love once, and I lost him.  I don’t want to lose anyone else.” Her voice quivered as she spoke, a tear slipping out of her eye, thinking of Inuyasha.

 

Yashiro leaned his forehead against hers. “He was the only other one you ever kissed, wasn’t he?”

 

“Mhmm,” she mumbled. 

 

“What happened to him?” Yashiro asked, Kagome let out a choked breath. 

 

“I don’t want to talk about it,” she finally managed, pulling away.  He let her go as she curled up on the other side of the couch.  After a few minutes, he got up and stood in front of her.

 

“Come on, let’s take a nap.  I don’t think either of us have had a good sleep in a while,” he said, reaching his hand out to her.  She quietly obliged, following him to the bedroom.  She climbed into the bed with him, fully dressed.  He took her in his arms, smelling her hair.  “I love how your hair always smells of lavender.”

 

She smiled, snuggling closer to him.  She felt her body relax, her breathing becoming more normalized as she fell into a deep sleep.  He took longer, admiring her delicate features, enjoying the feel of her in his arms again. 

 

-*-*-

 

Kagome and Yashiro began to slowly fall back into their old routines.  He hadn’t tried to fool around with her, mostly just enjoying being in her presence again.  Kagome had been tempted to initiate, but their dynamic had changed a bit.  She sensed that he was making sure she trusted him fully again before moving forward, something she had appreciated. 

 

As she was stocking books at work, she looked at the clock and realized she had ten minutes until she clocked out.  She quickly finished stocking the books and began to count her change drawer when she heard the bell to the front of the store ring.  She could see the door, but she didn’t have a chance to look up.

 

“Oh my god, is that her?”

 

“Sure is,” she heard Yashiro’s voice.  She looked up and saw a petit girl standing next to Yashiro.  She had long strawberry blonde hair with large almond shaped eyes.  Her lips were full and pouty, and she was wearing quite a bit of makeup.  She wore a crop top that barely covered her large breasts, exposing a flat stomach with a belly button ring, and low riding jeans that were extremely tight.  She wore a jean jacket that was faded, and her heels made her easily three inches taller to her extremely petit stature.  She had a big grin on her face when she saw Kagome.

 

“Oh, Yashiro!  She’s adorable, no wonder you’ve been falling for her.”

 

Yashiro turned bright red at her comment.  “Kagome… this is Sachiko.  My friend I told you about…”

 

Kagome’s eyes widened.  This was Yashiro’s ex-girlfriend turned best friend.  “Oh, hi,” Kagome muttered, feeling jealousy rise up.  She was gorgeous and had a fantastic figure.  Her voice was high pitched and she sounded like she was almost babying whomever she was talking to. 

 

Sachiko ran around to take a look at Kagome.  “Wow, you’re way cuter than he let on.  Yashiro!  I can’t believe you didn’t tell me how cute she was.  I can’t tell you, Kagome, he won’t shut up about you. I can’t get a word in edge-wise when he talks about you.  He just gushes nonstop.”

 

Kagome blushed, but her blush was nothing compared to Yashiro’s.  “Sachi… you’re embarrassing Kagome,” he tried to defend, but his voice betrayed him.

 

“She doesn’t look embarrassed, but you sure do.  I love when you get embarrassed, it’s such a rare sight,” she said, giving Kagome a wink.  “Yashiro said they have good coffee here, are you free to chat?”

 

“Yeah, I just need to clock out,” Kagome said, trying to figure out what was going on.

 

“Okay Kagome!  We’ll get you a coffee!” Sachiko said cheerfully, dragging Yashiro to the coffee shop portion of the bookstore.   Kagome stared at them, wondering what the hell she got herself into.

 

She joined them a few minutes later, a coffee waiting for her as promised.  Sachiko was chatting away about something, but when she saw Kagome her face lit up. 

 

“Oh, let me take a look at you,” she said, walking around Kagome.  “You’ve got a killer figure, I’d kill to have your legs.”

 

Kagome blushed.  “Really?”

 

“Mhmm!  I have these stubby little legs, I have to wear heels just so it looks like I have legs, but yours go on for days.  I bet all the boys ask you out.  Don’t they Yashiro?  I bet you have to bat the boys away from her.”

 

“Uh, no, I don’t really get asked out often,” Kagome said, giving a nervous laugh. 

 

“What?!  No way!” Sachiko half yelled.  “I’m half tempted to ask you out, and I rarely date girls.”

 

“Sachiko…” Yashiro hissed irritably. 

 

“Shut up Yashiro.  Kagome, I’ve been dying to meet you.  I want to have a girls talk with you, _without_ being interrupted every thirty seconds,” she added, giving Yashiro a scathing glance.  “Yashi, go look at some stupid history books, we’re having a girls talk.”

 

Yashiro didn’t move.  He crossed his arms and glared at the women.  Kagome sat down and sipped her coffee, feeling extremely uncomfortable.  Sachiko stared at Yashiro, giving him a dark look.

 

“Fine, we’ll have our girls talk with you here.  Kagome, did you know that Yashiro likes it when you play with his---,” she began to say, but Yashiro put his hand over her mouth.  Kagome nearly dropped her coffee.

 

“Sachiko, not in public,” he warned.

 

“I was going to say swords.  You always talk about that kendo stuff,” she said slyly.  Kagome let out a giggle.  She had never seen Yashiro so obviously uncomfortable.  “Leave and I promise I won’t tell her all the naughty things you like.”

 

He glared as he got up and left the table.

 

“Ugh, finally!  I’m so glad to finally meet you, he’s been gushing about you nonstop for months.  You should know, Yashiro and I have been friends for years.”

 

Her voice suddenly changed to sound deeper and sultrier.  She went from sounding squeaky to sounding husky.  “Oh, I wasn’t aware of that.”

 

“Oh, he’s told me so much about you,” Sachiko continued, taking a sip of her coffee.  “You’ll have to forgive me, I’m a little protective of him, so I wanted to get a feel for you without him around.  He told me that you didn’t have the best reaction to his work history,” she said, jutting out her bottom lip.  Kagome put her cup down, afraid to look at her.

 

“I’ll be honest, it still kind of bothers me.  I’m trying to let it go, but I just can’t wrap my head around it.”

 

Sachiko gave her an understanding look.  “I can imagine it would be intimidating for someone as inexperienced as you are, but I promise you, it’s just a job just like any other job.  It’s just wear and tear on the body, just like stacking books all day is.”

 

Kagome blushed, she wasn’t sure she could compare adult films to stacking books.  “I really care about him though, and I want to try to work past it.”

 

“He’s in love with you, you know,” Sachiko said point blank.  Kagome’s blush deepened as she looked up at Sachiko.  “He doesn’t realize it yet, but I’ve seen him in relationships before, girls that he was really infatuated with, and they don’t even compare to the way he talks and acts around you.  I don’t even recognize him anymore.  It’s a good thing!” she said defensively.  “He’s so much happier.  He was such a loner before and now he’s almost giddy all the time.  You’re having a great effect on him.”

 

“When did he start talking about me?” Kagome asked, feeling herself swell up with pride hearing that she’d had such an effect on Yashiro.

 

“Oh, first week of last semester.  He started by bragging about your papers and how cute you were.  When you started the coffee dates he was trying to figure out how to ask you out, and when you asked him out, he was jumping for joy.  I helped him put up the Christmas lights at the park, you know.  He worked me to the bone.”

 

Kagome laughed at that.  Sachiko gave her a questioning look, so Kagome began to elaborate.  “He took me to a cheap ramen shop for the dinner of our first date.  I find it funny that he put so much time into the Christmas lights, but only spent three hundred yen on ramen for dinner.”

 

Sachiko began to laugh as well.  “Yeah, he’s obsessed with ramen.  He told me today that you watched some of his earlier work,” Sachiko said, giving her a side eye.  Kagome blushed.    
  
“Yeah, I questioned him a lot on what he likes,” Kagome said, bowing her head in embarrassment. 

 

“He likes his nipples pinched and if you want him to cum, you have to massage his balls.  Otherwise he lasts forever--- I TOLD YOU TO GO LOOK AT THE FUCKING BOOKS!”

 

Kagome almost jumped out of her skin with Sachiko’s sudden outburst and turned to see what was happening. Yashiro had apparently begun to side-step closer to the ladies, but promptly turned around after being ousted.  Everyone was looking at them.  Kagome was soon realizing that nothing fazed the girl in front of her as she resumed her conversation.

 

 “He also has a thing for red lace...  Always red for some reason.  Oh!  Do you want to go shopping with me?  I’ve been needing to get some new lingerie for work and I need a girl’s opinion on what looks good.  We can go together, I’ll even buy you something for helping me pick out some,” Sachiko said excitedly. 

 

 _What am I getting myself into?_ “Uh, sure, sounds like fun.”

 

“Great!  YASHIRO!  YOU CAN COME BACK NOW!”  Kagome couldn’t believe how loud her voice was.  “Oh, give me your phone number.  When’s your next day off?  We’ll go then.”

 

“Oh, I don’t have a day off until Saturday,” Kagome said, giving the girl her number.  She got a text a minute later from Sachiko. 

 

“Great, all day Saturday we’ll go shopping,” she said, smiling at her.  Yashiro sat down between the women, glaring at Sachiko.

 

“What’s your problem?” Sachiko asked innocently.

 

“You’re a real piece of work, you know that?  You shouldn’t be screaming so much in a book store.  We’ll get kicked out.”

 

“Sorry, I’m used to screaming for work,” Sachiko said, winking at Kagome.  Yashiro had spit out his coffee. 

 

“Sachiko!  What the fuck is wrong with you?” he hissed at her.  Sachiko began to laugh, which made Kagome laugh too.  She had never seen him so embarrassed before, it was kind of refreshing to see the tables turned on him.

 

They left the coffee shop a little while later, Sachiko splitting off from them.  “See you Saturday!” she yelled, waiving as she walked off.  Yashiro and Kagome stood watching her walk away.

 

“Well, that was interesting,” Kagome remarked.  “Apparently you like red lace.”

 

Yashiro turned bright red.  “She’s uh… interesting.  Usually she’s not that over the top, but I think she was really excited to meet you.”

 

Kagome smiled, taking Yashiro’s hand in hers as they walked back to his apartment.  Things were starting to slowly go back to normal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please tell me how you all think of Sachiko. I had a lot of fun writing her out, and she'll be appearing in later chapters. I have at least ten more chapters planned in this story, and I"m having a lot of fun writing it. 
> 
> Stay tuned to find out what happens next! And thank you all for the kudos!


	10. Senpai's First Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kagome and Yashiro take it to the next level...

It was Saturday afternoon, and Kagome was in a lingerie store with Sachiko.  They had been to four different lingerie stores and Sachiko was not satisfied with her haul of lingerie yet.  She had four large bags, but she had her heart set on getting a brocade corset, something that was not easily found. 

 

Kagome was admiring a pair of crotchless panties, trying to figure out if they would be worth the purchase.  She held up a pair, confused as to how to get them on.  The pair she held were a dark red and lace, with a bow on the back of it.  The lace was a kind of brocade, sheer in spots.  There were ruffles on the sides, and they looked… really over the top.  There was a bra that matched it that was cute, padded to make her breasts look exceptionally perky, with black lace trim on the edges.  She looked at the bra and panties together, wondering if Yashiro would like them…

 

“Ooh, those are cute!” Sachiko said, looking at the panties.  “You’d look great in those.”

 

Kagome blushed.  Sachiko leaned over and pulled out a red lace garter belt.  It had ruffles and the straps were bright red.  “You could get this with some fishnets, that’d be hot.  Yashiro would be drooling all over you.”

 

Kagome blushed even more, causing Sachiko to giggle at her.  “I don’t know if I want him drooling…” Kagome muttered.

 

“Nonsense, have you ever worn lingerie for him before?”

 

Kagome was trying to decide if she should divulge the information.  However, the more she thought about it, she realized that if she wanted insight on how to tease Yashiro, Sachiko would be the best way.  “Once, I had a red thong and bra.  I wore a really short skirt with it.  He had seemed disinterested for most of the night.”

 

“Ah, if he’s acting disinterested, he’s trying to see if you’ll make the first move.  It’s kind of his way of asking permission.  But as soon as you gave the permission, he was on you really fast, wasn’t he?”

 

Kagome nodded.  “Yeah, he couldn’t get it off of me fast enough.”

 

Sachiko laughed.  “Yeah, he’s not one to waste time usually.  You know, these ruffled panties are really cute, and they’re a little more modest.  But if you look, they’re also crotchless, so it’s easier access.  You can’t tell they’re crotchless though.”  She found a matching bra that was red lace and plunged far lower than Kagome was used to.  “This is cute too, together he’d be drooling.  Oh!  And if you wore high heels.  You have killer legs, high heels would make your legs look amazing.”

 

“Does he have any… specific things he likes?” Kagome asked. 

 

“What do you mean?”  Sachiko asked.  Kagome was trying to be discrete, but it wasn’t working.

 

“Like.. some guys like maids…”

 

“Oh, he definitely has a thing for school girl uniforms.  He loves plaid skirts and button down shirts.”  Kagome thought about that, wanting to thunk her head.  No wonder he became a professor.

 

Sachiko disappeared in the sea of lingerie, so Kagome continued to look at the garter belts and body stockings.  She blushed at the idea of wearing nothing but fishnets, wondering how he’d react to her walking in a room wearing nothing but stockings.  She was embarrassed thinking about it.  But knowing he liked school girls made her giggle a little, since she had a red plaid skirt and a button down shirt she could wear with it.

 

Sachiko came back with a pair of red velvet pumps that would easily make Kagome four inches taller.  She saw the hells and her eyes grew wide, not knowing if she would be able to walk in them.

 

“Kagome, try these on, these are hot,” Sachiko cooed.  Kagome stepped out of her tennis shoes and stepped into the pumps, feeling a little uneasy in them.  “Well, walk around a little!” Sachiko squealed, giggling.

 

Kagome walked up and down the store, feeling a little awkward.  “I don’t think these are for me,” Kagome tried to reason, but Sachiko wasn’t hearing it.

 

“But they are, your legs look like they’re a mile long, and the red velvet compliments your skin tone really well.  Tell you what, these are on me, my treat.”  Kagome was surprised at her generosity. 

 

The two girls had finished shopping around three in the afternoon, Kagome having a wide array of new lingerie thanks to Sachiko’s generosity, as well as the pair of red velvet pumps.  She had remained mostly quiet throughout the day, having little pangs of jealousy when Sachiko would talk about Yashiro.  She learned that they had worked over twenty scenes together, something that really made her tick.  She wanted to hate the girl walking alongside her, but she was very likable. 

 

When they reached Kagome’s apartment, Sachiko waived goodbye.  “I had fun Kagome!  We should do this again!”

 

Kagome waived back, relieved that she was getting away from the girl.  As nice as she was, Kagome was feeling exhausted.  She went up to her apartment and threw the bags on the bed, going to make herself a cup of tea.  She heard her phone buzz a few minutes later. 

 

**Did you girls have fun?** Yashiro had sent.

 

_I guess we did,_ Kagome thought, smiling to herself.  **We did.  I got lots of new goodies.**

She began to put the lingerie away.  Sachiko went a little nuts, buying her an array of colors and types.  There was a teddy, a short little dress, garters with fishnets, bras, panties.  She didn’t know where she was going to put all of it, and she wondered if she would ever wear it.

 

Her phone buzzed again.  **Anything I’d like?**

Kagome stared at the red ruffled panties, wondering if she should tell him or just surprise him.  She giggled.  **You’ll just have to wait and see.**

He texted her back immediately.  **Can’t wait.  You coming over tonight?**

She thought about it.  She had been thinking a lot over the last few days, missing being intimate with him.  After spending the day with Sachiko, she had decided that maybe it’s time she finally go all the way with him,  Technically they had been dating about two months now, and he had been extremely patient.  She thought about what Sachiko had said about him liking school uniforms.  She could surprise him tonight wearing the red plaid skirt and heels.  She wanted him to initiate.  In a way, she wanted him to carry her off to the bedroom and have his way with her.  The thought caused fire to appear in her stomach.

 

**Definitely.  I’ll be over in about an hour.**

She applied her makeup and style her hair in soft curls.  He seemed to like her hair in curls.  She found the plaid skirt and rolled up the waist so it was pretty short, finding a white button down shirt and tied it under her bust so that her stomach was showing.  She made sure she was wearing the red ruffled panties and matching bra.  She thought about putting her hair in pigtails, but she felt that might be going a bit far, making her look really young.  She left her legs completely bare, putting on the pumps.  She stood in front of the mirror, staring at herself for a long time.  She looked pretty cute, but she wasn’t sure she looked sexy. 

 

Feeling self-conscious, she took a picture of herself and sent it to Sachiko.  While Sachiko wasn’t exactly her friend yet, she felt that the girl would give her an honest opinion of how she looked. 

 

Kagome sat and waited for the response.  After about five minutes she saw Sachiko replied.

 

**You’re going to give him a heart attack, he won’t be able to keep his hands off you.  Make sure you call him “Senpai”**

She wondered why Yashiro would like the honorific while she was dressed as a slutty school girl, but she figured it was best not to question the girl who was more of an expert on the matter.  She put on her coat, covering up her outfit, and set out for Yashiro’s. 

 

Walking the half mile in the heels was torture on her feet, but if she did this right, she wouldn’t be on her feet for long.  She blushed at the idea, wondering if he would actually take her as she was.  She walked into his building, her nerves taking over.  She was feeling more and more scared with each passing moment.  What if he didn’t like it? 

 

She made it to his door and let herself in.  He was in the kitchen making tea.  He came to the door and gave her a soft peck on the lips, looking down and noticing the heels.  He gave her a wolfish grin.

 

“I’m guessing Sachiko got you those,” he asked, giving her a knowing look. 

 

“Sachiko really likes to shop,” Kagome commented.  “She has… very interesting tastes…” she said slowly, unzipping her coat and letting it fall off her shoulders.  His eyes went wide when he saw her outfit, exposing her stomach, the top three buttons undone so he got just a small glimpse of the red lace underneath.  Her skirt was short, only covering the top few inches of her thighs.

 

His hands moved to her hips, slowly moving up to her exposed sides, feeling the flesh beneath his fingers tremble.  She noticed that his entire facial expression changed, his eyes half lidded, sapphire pools filled with desire.  She could definitely tell that he liked the outfit.  She felt a burst of confidence, wanting to be coy, but blanking on what to say.

 

His hands moved up to run along the bottom of her shirt, his eyes staring at her neck and her mouth. 

 

Kagome, panicking, blurted out, “I hope Senpai notices me.”

 

He froze, his face unmoving.  She didn’t move either.  She just realized how stupid she sounded.

 

“Pfff….” Yashiro started to say, then burst out laughing.  He stepped back, holding his sides as he laughed uncontrollably.  Kagome felt her face turn bright red, looking at the floor as he nearly fell over laughing. 

 

Kagome kicked off her shoes, untied the bottom of her shirt so that her stomach was covered and unrolled the skirt so that it reached just above her knees.  She wasn’t going to try to be sexy for him ever again.  In fact, maybe she’d just go hide under a rock for the next hundred years. 

 

“Oh God… Kagome… That was… Amazing…” he could hardly breathe as he laughed out the words. 

 

“Forget I tried to be sexy for you,” she snapped, going to pour herself a cup of tea.  A moment later, his arms were around her waist, pulling her back towards the bedroom.  When he reached the bed, his breath tickled her ear.

 

“Don’t worry Kagome, Senpai noticed you a long time ago,” he whispered huskily.  Shivers went down her spine.  She turned to look at him and he captured her mouth with his own.  Her back was to him, his hands on her hips.  He pulled her hips into his, letting her feel his excitement, causing her to blush.  She turned to face him, her hands moving up his body to grasp his shoulders, pressing her front to his.  His hands moved to squeeze her ass, moaning. 

 

She let out a surprised moan when he had squeezed her, which he took as an invitation to deepen the kiss.  She kissed him back, her hands squeezing his shoulders as the kiss deepened.  She had missed the intimacy between them, making her body crave him all the more. 

 

She backed him into the bed, breaking the kiss and forcing him to sit on the bed.  He kissed her stomach, his hands moving up her skirt, squeezing her thighs.  His hands moved up to her panties, feeling the ruffles of the fabric.  She could hear him moan as he toyed with the panties, causing her to blush.  His hands went back down her legs to go over her skirt, unbuttoning her shirt agonizingly slow, keeping his eyes connected to hers.  When the last button was undone, he opened her shirt to reveal the red and black lace bra she was wearing.  He bit his lip, biting back a soft moan.  She pulled her shirt off, moving her hands down to unzip the skirt, letting it fall to the floor.  She stood before him wearing nothing but the bra and the matching ruffled panties.

 

“Mmm,” he moaned, kissing her stomach.  He moved across her stomach with feather-light kisses, his hands never leaving her hips.  Her breath was caught in her throat, enjoying the sensation of his lips on her, causing butterflies to appear in her stomach.  He scooted back on the bed, pulling her closer to him.  She moved to have a leg on each side of him, straddling him, his face now resting between her breasts.  He kissed her breasts as his hands moved to squeeze her ass, letting out a moan.  Her hand were on his shoulders, her nails digging into his shirt as his hands moved across her body, memorizing every curve.

 

His hands moved up to squeeze her breasts, causing her to let out a soft sigh.  She pulled his shirt up, taking it off him and throwing it to the floor.  Her hands moved to the binder holding his hair in place, pulling it out so his hair would be down.  She watched his hair fall, biting her lip as the face of Inuyasha stared back at her, hungry with desire.  She leaned down and kissed him, her hips grinding against his.  The crotchless panties gave her center direct contact with his denim jeans, creating a delicious friction that caused her to moan against his lips. 

 

She pushed him down so he was on his back, kissing him.  She began to kiss her way down his body, lightly nipping at his chest, his abs, then his belly button.  His breathing was rough as he watched her wander, tasting his flesh.  Her hands fumbled with his belt, her hands shaking from nervousness.  He continued to watch her, curious as to what she was going to do.  She unbuckled his pants, pulling them down his hips.  She reached his boxers, pulling them down so his erection sprung free.  She stared up at him as he watched her with half-lidded eyes.  She kept eye contact with him as she stuck her tongue out and lightly licked the underside of his cock, achingly slow.  He moaned out, biting his lip to keep from moaning too loud.  She got a little braver, licking the bead of precum off the tip of his cock.  She wrapped her lips around the tip, creating a suction.

 

 

He threw his head back, biting back the moans.  Both of her hands grasped his shaft, squeezing lightly as she tried to take a few more inches of him inside her mouth.  Her tongue swirled around the tip as she sucked, feeling him reach the back of her throat.  She began to move her head back, sucking hard.  Her hands began to pump his cock as she sucked, moaning on his cock. 

 

“Kagome,” she heard him moan.  She felt a little braver, taking him out of her mouth, licking down his cock until she reached his balls, taking one of the sacs into her mouth, licking them gently as her hand pumped him.  She sucked on the sac, moaning as she felt him in her mouth.  

 

She licked back up his shaft, going agonizingly slow to tease him, before she placed her lips around his tip again.  She looked up at him and he had a slight blush on his cheeks, making her stifle a giggle.  In an instant, he moved himself away from her, pulling her up to him, capturing her lips once more.  He rolled her to her back, finding himself on top of her, kissing her.  His hair cascaded around them, making her feel more secluded.  She looked up at him, seeing only Inuyasha.  He smiled, leaning down to kiss her again, his hips grinding into hers.  He moaned when his tip brushed against her entrance. 

 

“Crotchless panties, eh?” he mumbled against her lips, kissing down her jaw.  His hand reached behind her, unclipping her bra with ease.  He pulled the bra away, exposing her breasts to him.  He kissed down her chest, taking a rosy peak into his mouth.  She let out a moan, biting back the name that nearly escaped her lips.  His hand moved to knead the other breast, pulling on her nipple until it hardened.  He kissed his way to her other breast, his mouth hot on her skin. 

 

“Yashiro,” she moaned, she wanted him.  Her nerves were gone, she wanted him inside her, she wanted to know what was so great about sex, and she knew that if she was going to do it, she wanted to do it now.  He began to kiss down her stomach, but she grabbed his arms, urging him to kiss her again.  He obliged, kissing her as she moaned into his mouth.  Her hand reached down to squeeze his cock as she began to direct it to her entrance.

 

He moved his hips to the side so that he wasn’t close to her entrance any longer.  She moaned as he broke the kiss, staring down at her.

 

“Not yet,” he whispered, kissing her lightly on the lips.  She groaned. 

 

“Why not?” she gasped as he kissed her neck, lightly nipping at it. 

 

“We need to warm you up first,” He whispered, nipping her shoulder.   “I don’t want to hurt you.”

 

He kissed down her body, nipping at her stomach, down until he reached her panties.  She opened her legs to him, willing him to bring her to new heights.  He kissed the inside of her thigh as his fingers pushed their way through her wet folds, moaning as he was easily able to insert two fingers.  He pumped his fingers inside of her as his lips kissed her clit.  His tongue darted out, lapping up her juices as she moaned. 

 

Her body began to feel the familiar build up, aching for release.  His fingers moved faster inside her, causing her to cry out louder, encouraging him to make her writhe with pleasure.  He moaned into her folds, the vibrations causing her body to clench up.  She was so close.  He inserted a third finger inside her, pumping rhythmically at a faster pace. 

 

“Oh Kagome,” he moaned into her center, feeling her clench around his fingers.  She cried out as her body erupted into a fit of tremors, her voice becoming hoarse from how loud her moans were.  He continued to lap up her sweet nectar as her body convulsed, expelling her arousal on his hand and on his lips.  As her body began to relax, he removed his fingers, causing her to moan from the loss.  She wanted him desperately, craving to be one with him, knowing that she could only be satisfied by him in this very moment. 

 

She saw him reach into his nightstand to pull out a small foil packet.  He ripped it open, staring at her as he rolled the condom onto his erect cock, never breaking eye contact with her.  Once it was on, he captured her mouth with his lips, moaning into her mouth as his tip teased her entrance. 

 

“Are you sure you want to do this?” he whispered huskily, lazily grinding his cock against her. 

 

She began to feel scared, but she wanted this, _needed_ to feel him inside her.  She wanted to give her body to him, her soul to him.  She wanted to feel him deep inside her, completing her, filling the void that Inuyasha left behind.  She slowly nodded.  He rolled onto his back, pulling her so she was on top of him.  She straddled him, sitting up and a little unsure of what to do.  His hands grasped her hips, guiding her up as he guided his cock to her entrance.  She felt his tip right there, wanting so badly to slide down, but she was starting to feel scared.  The fear must have been evident because he reached up to touch her face.

 

“We’ll go slow,” he told her, giving her a gentle smile.  She leaned her face into his hand, kissing his palm.  His hand moved to tuck her hair behind her ear, his fingers tracing her jaw slowly. 

 

She lowered herself on him, gasping at his impossible size.  He was so big, stretching her out wider than she thought she could be stretched out.  It hurt, even though he had worked to stretch her out before starting this adventure.  She inserted him a few inches, having to stop to adjust to his size. 

 

“Yashiro,” she cried softly. 

 

“Take your time,” he gasped, rubbing her legs to soothe her. 

 

She tried to slide down another inch, but it became increasingly painful.  She cried out, her nerves beginning to get the best of her.  His hands moved to her hips, gently coaxing her to move further down.  She bit her lip, biting back the cry that was rising in her throat.  He was so big, she didn’t know if she could do this after all.

 

Down another inch, he was mostly inside of her and she wanted to scream in pain.  He had reached a barrier inside of her, her body clenching him tightly. 

 

“Yashiro, it hurts,” she cried, choking back a sob.  This isn’t what she had imagined.  Why did it hurt so badly? 

 

Concern etched his face as he saw a tear spring from her eyes.  “We can stop,” he whispered gently, his hand wiping away the tear.  She shook her head in dissent.  She moved her hips up, taking him almost complete out, then slowly lowered herself again.  He bit back a moan, she was so tight. 

 

She felt the pain again, biting back her tears.  She raised herself up slowly, bringing herself back down.  His hands moved to her hips, guiding her. 

 

“That’s it,” he whispered as he gently held her hips, letting her control the pace.

 

“Yashiro…” she moaned, working to continue what she started.  He was so deep inside her, stretching her out.  She moved up his shaft again, only to slowly come back down.  She heard him moan in pleasure, encouraging her to continue.  She went agonizingly slow, hoping that she would adjust to his massive size, but with each thrust, brought more pain.  It wasn’t pleasurable at all, her nerves taking over.

 

“Yashiro, I can’t do it,” she cried, another tear falling.  She pulled herself up so he wasn’t inside her anymore, relief flooding her body.  She collapsed next to him, her breathing shaky.  He rolled to his side to look at her, kissing her gently, his fingers getting tangled in her hair. 

 

“It’s okay,” he whispered against her lips.  “It takes time.”

 

She let out a sob.  “I’m sorry,” she whispered.  He kissed her again.

 

“Don’t be sorry, there’s nothing to be sorry for,” he told her, moving her hair out of her eyes.  “It can take a while, we’ll try again another time.”

 

Kagome snuggled up to Yashiro, unsure of how to feel.  She wasn’t sure she wanted to try it again.  Before they actually joined flesh, she was so certain she wanted to, then they did, and it was nothing like she was expecting.  His hands felt better.   

 

“It wasn’t like I was expecting,” she whispered. 

 

“It’s never that great your first time, though I tried,” he muttered against her hair.  “We’ll try again when you’re ready, there’s no rush.”

 

He was so understanding, she snuggled up closer to him.  He wrapped his arms around her, squeezing her gently.  “Come on, let’s take a bath.  You’ll feel better after a bath.”

 

“Let me use the toilet first,” she said, standing up.  Her legs felt shaky and she felt incredibly tender.  She waddled to the bathroom, finding out that she had bled a decent amount.  She wanted to cry.  She flushed the toilet and went into the bathroom to draw a bath.  She heard Yashiro knock a moment later. 

 

“You can come in,” she called out.  He entered a moment later, watching her climb into the bath tub.  He climbed in behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist.  She leaned back into him, enjoying the feel of the warm water on her sore body. 

 

“You okay?” he asked her, kissing her hair.

 

“A little tender,” she mumbled, feeling her body relax against him. 

 

He squeezed her.  “I’ve been told that’s normal.  Like I said, we’ll try again when you’re ready.”

 

She didn’t want to discourage him, she felt like she never wanted to do that again.  He was being so gentle with her, taking such care with her to ensure her comfort.  She looked up and he kissed her lips.  The kiss was tender, filling her with warmth once more. 

 

When they got out of the tub, Yashiro took special care to dry her off, being gentle with every part of her body, leaving a trail of kisses down her stomach, up her legs.  She started to waddle back to the bedroom, which caused him to sigh.  When she looked at him, he picked her up bridal-style and walked her to the bedroom.  Kagome didn’t protest, it was uncomfortable to walk.  They snuggled under the blankets and both were asleep within minutes.


	11. The Mythical Inau

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Inuyasha and Miroku are called to the northern climes of Japan to face a demon possessing a relic that may aid in time travel...

Inuyasha stared down the well, wishing it would open again.  He would often find himself at the well, making wishes and talking to the well as if Kagome were there.  He had a habit of coming at least every three days, wishing that he could be reunited with the woman who had chased away the chill in his heart. 

 

The last time he had seen Kagome, his lips had been pressed against hers, having found her after being lost in the dark recess of the Shikon Jewel.  When the wish had been made, he had watched her run to her family in tears, thankful to be back in her own time.

 

He realized now that there were others who needed her too, but it never made it easier.  His heart longed for the girl who overcame time and space to be with him.  He missed her laugh, he missed her touch.  He missed everything about her caring nature.  He would close his eyes and see her there.  Whenever he listened to the wind, he would hear her laugh.  When he would smell flowers, he would remember her sweet scent.  Everything reminded him of Kagome, making his life in this world unbearable.  She had encompassed him in a blanket of love and had given her heart to him, stealing his in return.  They were of one soul sharing two bodies, and when he thought of her he would often feel himself overcome with emotion.  He longed for her, wishing that he could just see her one last time to let her know that he belonged to her.

 

Inuyasha squeezed the wood of the ancient well, feeling his heart ache with loneliness.  What words could he say to bring her back?  He had jumped in at least a hundred times, hoping that he could return to her, never able to make it through.  He stared into the black abyss of the well, letting out a deep sigh.  He would find a way to be with Kagome again, even if it killed him.

 

By the time he returned to Kaede’s village.  Miroku was outside of his hut, enjoying the peace away from his now sleeping children.  Sango had given him twin girls and a son, with another on the way.  When the children were asleep, he would often be found outside his hut, meditating.    Inuyasha sat next to him, enjoying the peace that the monk brought him.

 

“Miroku I’ve been thinking,” Inuyasha began, taking a long pause.  He could hear Miroku sigh.

 

“That’s always a dangerous pass time,” the monk remarked, his eyes never opening.

 

Inuyasha gave him a sideways glare.  “I’m thinking there must be a way for me to see Kagome again, even if it’s just for a moment.”

 

Miroku folded his hands in his lap once more.  “We’ve been over this before, it’s likely that you’ll never see her again.”  He could feel Inuyasha glare at him.  He opened his eyes and faced his friend, giving him a gentle smile.  “I know that you miss her, we all do, but she was from a different time.  There’s a chance you’ll see her in your next life.”

 

Inuyasha was quiet for a moment.  “I want to see her in this life though.” 

 

Miroku sighed.  “She may have moved on Inuyasha.”

 

Inuyasha felt the words go straight to his heart, leaving a nasty flavor in his mouth.  She may have, but she would have tried to go through the well for a while before moving on.  It’s only been five years, perhaps she was still trying to find a way, like he had. 

 

“No, I don’t think she would have moved on,” Inuyasha decided, firm in his belief that she wouldn’t give up.

 

“Unless she found your reincarnation, which is entirely possible,” reasoned Miroku.  “Kagome was the reincarnation of Kikyo, it’s only fitting that your soul would seek her out in the next life.”

 

“No, I plan on finding her in this life,” Inuyasha snapped, standing up, walking back towards the forest.

 

“Where are you going?” Miroku asked, standing up from his lotus position.

 

“I’m going to find a way to see Kagome again,” he yelled back, taking off into the twilight sky. 

 

He figured he would start at a temple with a powerful priestess or spirit.  He remembered the lake of the water god, remembering how he had helped the water goddess take back her trident.  Perhaps she would know a way to send him to the future, perhaps she would be able to seal him away for five hundred years so he would be able to awaken in her time.

 

He reached the shine of Suijin, the Goddess of Water, and took a deep breath.  He walked into the shrine to see Suijin on her throne, her trident on her lap.  Her robes were the same as before, with her red berry earrings and hair jewelry.  Her skin was pale and her lips were ruby red, staring at him with cold eyes.  She gazed upon Inuyasha in wonder, curious as to why he would grace her with his presence.

 

Inuyasha went to his knees, afraid to look up to the water goddess.  “Water God, I implore you, I need your help to see the woman I love again.”

 

Suijin said nothing, watching Inuyasha as he bowed his head lower before the holy creature. She watched Inuyasha closely as he continued to speak.  “She would travel through time and now she’s five hundred years in the future.  Please, is there some way you can help me see her again?”

 

Suijin stared at Inuyasha.  “Rise,” she said, her voice booming.  Inuyasha looked up at the water goddess, her face looking considerate.  She stood, walking to Inuyasha, circling him.  She could see that he was a broken man, looking to reunite with a long lost love.  “I understand your plea, but even I do not hold the power to send your love back to her.  I fear that there is nothing I can do.”

 

Inuyasha felt himself shake with rage.  “Why the hell not?!”

 

The water goddess was taken aback by his angry demeanor.  “I do not have the power to change the flow of time.  As far as I know, there is no way to change the flow of time.  The only thing I could recommend is to find someone to seal you away, but I highly doubt there’s a seal powerful enough to seal a half-demon like yourself away for five hundred years.”

 

Inuyasha felt himself shake with rage.  “Please… I’m begging…”

 

Her face hardened, giving him a dark look. “Half-demon, there is nothing for me to do. I can not break the laws of nature to reunite you with your woman.  I think it would be best if you would leave.”

 

Inuyasha left the shrine, punching the nearest tree.  There had to be a way to see Kagome again.  He knew in his heart that there had to be another way to see Kagome, if even for a moment. 

 

He spent the next several weeks visiting shrines across Japan, hoping that a priestess or a powerful priest would be able to send him to Kagome, or bring Kagome to him. 

 

He was having no luck, no person would be willing to help him. 

 

He returned to Kaede’s village, his spirit broken.  He continued to stare into the sky, hoping that Kagome would find a way to return to him.  He thought of her daily, the smell of her hair, the smile that would melt his heart whenever he saw it.  Often times he would be fighting back tears, hoping that someday he would be able to see the woman he loved once more.  Was his fate so cruel that he could not spend his life with the woman he loved? 

 

One day, Miroku had a messenger from a man who resided in Northern Japan.  It was nearing winter with the northern winds bringing an unearthly chill to the land.  The man was wearing heavily padded robes, he looked weak from his travels as he neared collapse when he reached the Monk’s home. 

 

Inuyasha and Miroku sat across from the messenger, watching him as he removed several of the layers of clothing that protected him from the elements.  After the man was offered tea, he put his hands on his legs and began to speak.

 

“My name is Daisuke, I was sent to ask for the assistance of a powerful monk and his demon companion,” the man stated, looking at Miroku and Inuyasha.  “When I began my search, it led me to the two of you, I assume that you are the powerful duo who are capable to handle strong demons?”

 

“We are able to defeat powerful demons… for a price,” Miroku stated, pouring himself a cup of tea.  Inuyasha gave Miroku a sideways glance. 

 

The man pulled a small bag out of his sleeve, setting it on the floor.  The loud thunk the bag made when making contact with the floor betrayed its wealth.  Miroku’s eyebrows shot up with surprise.  “Go on,” Miroku urged, almost drooling at the amount.

 

“Our priest is very powerful, but a demon has stolen the talisman that he has been asked to safeguard.  We need the talisman returned and we need our priest saved.”

 

“What’s the talisman?” Inuyasha asked, intrigued.

 

“It’s a very powerful Inau, it’s believed to transcend time, giving the user the power to travel to the past or the future.  It’s a well-guarded relic at our shrine.”

 

Inuyasha’s eyes grew wide at this.  This is exactly what he had been looking for.  If he restored it, he may be allowed to use it to bring back Kagome.  Inuyasha looked to Miroku with hopeful eyes, silently pleading him to accept the task at hand.  Miroku knew that it was a long shot, but it was worth looking into.  If Kagome and Inuyasha could reunite, if only for a moment, it would be worth it.

 

“If we help you, would you be able to send me into the future or bring someone from the future to our time?” Inuyasha asked, working to keep his composure under wraps.  However, for the first time in years, true hope had touched his heart, easing the burdens off of his shoulders.

 

Daisuke scratched his cheek, moving down to toy with his beard.  “Perhaps, the Inau would have to remain undamaged, and it would be up to the priest as to whether or not he would help you.”

 

 Inuyasha remained stoic.  “We will help you, but you must consider my plea,” Inuyasha half begged.

 

Daisuke nodded, touching Inuyasha’s thigh as a way to seal the trust between them.  The next morning, Inuyasha and Miroku set off, leaving Sango and her children behind.   

 

They traveled for two weeks to the northern most tip of Japan, where the snow was heavy and the northern winds would chill the party to their very bones.  They reached the ocean, staring into the vast abyss of waves and snow.  The salty air bit at Inuyasha’s nose, wondering if Kagome was where he was now, five hundred years in the future.  He felt his heart pound, knowing that she was thinking of him.  He knew that there had to be a connection… right?

 

            They reached the Torii gates of the shrine, the snow falling in a picturesque way.  It looked beautiful, coating the trees and the stone steps leading to the Torii gates.  Inuyasha climbed the steps, hoping that he would be able to see Kagome again.

 

The scent of demon was strong, he knew the demon was near.  He pulled out his tessaiga, ready to take down the demon.  He ran up to the Torii gates, his tessaiga at the ready, when a beautiful woman exited the shrine building in front of him.  She wore long silk robes embroidered with cherry blossoms.  She wore several layers of silk robes, indicating her high status, but her eyes were a blood red and her face held a disdain that only a demon could possess.  She put her hands in her robes, only to pull out a long wooden rod, the Inau. 

 

“I can see into your heart, Inuyasha,” the demon said softly.  “I see the woman you long for, lost to time.  I can bring her back, you know, just say the word…” She raised the Inau up, her demonic energy creating static in the air.

 

“I don’t think so!” Inuyasha roared, taking off in a sprint to attack the demoness.  He slashed her, before she was able to attack him, cutting off the arm holding the Inau.  The demon screamed, her face elongating and her robes ripping down the back.  She grew in size as she revealed her true form to Inuyasha.  Miroku and the messenger met Inuyasha at the Torii gates, the messenger running to grab the sacred Inau.  Inuyasha raised his tessaiga, letting it fall with the wind scar, destroying the demon easily. 

 

The messenger had a face of unbelief, unable to comprehend the ease that Inuyasha had for defeating the demon.  He truly was remarkable. 

 

A moment later a priest emerged from the shrine, his clothes tattered as he looked weak. 

 

“Master!” the messenger cried, presenting him with the Inau.  The priest grabbed the Inau, color returning to his face. 

 

“Thank you,” his master said, looking up to see Inuyasha and Miroku.  “You two, come inside.  It’s cold out there and I have warm sake to take the chill from your bones.”

 

Inuyasha and Miroku complied, entering the sacred temple.  The men were seated and a young priestess served them warm sake in front of a statue of a kami.  They sipped their sake and soon their host returned, wearing the traditional robes of a high priest.

 

The priest inspected the Inau, biting his lip as he muttered, observing the long wooden stick with the white papers on it.  “I fear that it is now damaged,” the priest said with a sigh.  “None the less, I thank you for saving me.”

 

“I have a favor to ask,” Inuyasha said, getting straight to the point.  The priest was bringing the sake to his lips, and stopped, staring at the half-demon with intrigue. 

 

“Oh?  What may I assist you with?”

 

Inuyasha stared at the Inau, wondering if the power of the sacred relic was real.  “I need to travel through time to find the woman I love, I was wondering if it was possible,” Inuyasha asked reluctantly.

 

The priest lowered his sake, his face reflecting remorse.  “I’m sorry, but that is impossible.  We can not travel to the future, but only to the past.  Besides, the Inau is now damaged, it is likely that the power is no longer strong enough to permanently send someone here.”

 

“What about temporarily?” Inuyasha asked, practically begging the priest.  His hand gripped tessaiga, as if to beg for its strength to allow him to speak the words leaving his lips.  “The woman I love is five hundred years in the future, is there a way she can come back to this time, even if it were just for a day?”

 

The priest thought about it, scratching his chin, deep in thought.  “I can’t bring her back, per se, but we can leave her instructions to return here.  I tell you what, give me something of value to you, and we’ll seal it in the temple.  Perhaps she would be able to find a way to find the instructions to cast a spell with the Inau so she could return.”

 

Inuyasha’s face lit up in excitement, but the face of the priest looked dire.  “However,” the priest continued, causing Inuyasha to remain silent.  “She could only return for three days.  I cannot return a person permanently to the past.  Would you be able to suffice with only three days with this woman?”

 

Inuyasha didn’t hesitate.  “I can live with three days,” he said decisively.  Miroku put his hand on Inuyasha’s arm.

 

“Inuyasha, there’s no guarantee that she’ll find what’s sealed here.  And is it worth losing something valuable to you to only see her for three days?”

 

Inuyasha thought hard about this.  The odds were slim that she could return to him, but the thought of being able to see Kagome, even if it was just for a few days, to him that would be worth everything. 

 

“It’s worth it,” he decided.  He took off his robe, handing it to the priest.  “This is the robe of the fire-rat, it’s the only gift I have left from my mother.  She would recognize it instantly.”

 

The priest held the fabric in his hands, feeling the warmth.  “This will work.  We’ll leave instructions for the intended person, and we’ll seal it in the shrine.”

 

Inuyasha nodded, understanding that this was a long shot.  But there was a chance, and a chance was all he needed. 

 

The priest led Inuyasha to his inner chambers where he ground an inkstone and pulled out a blank scroll.  He began to write on the scroll instructions of an incantation to be read by a powerful priest in her time, which would transport her to the feudal era for three days.  The priest finished the instructions, looking at Inuyasha.

 

“Is there a message you want to convey to her?” the priest asked. 

 

“Tell her I’ll be waiting by the well for her,” Inuyasha replied.  The priest wrote the words, stating that the half-demon Inuyasha would be waiting by the well.  He let the ink dry before rolling the scroll back up and wrapping it in the robe.  He found a wooden box to put the robe in, placing a sacred sutra on it and writing instructions on the box.

 

“What is the girl’s name?” the priest asked. 

 

“Kagome,” Inuyasha stated.  The priest wrote an incantation with Kagome’s name in it. 

 

“Only a girl named Kagome five hundred years from now will be able to break the seal on this box,” the priest stated.  He took the box to the center of the temple and placed an additional seal on it to further protect the robe.

 

The priest returned, sitting before Inuyasha.  “I hope that she finds you,” he said, pouring them both sake. 

 

Inuyasha took the sake, feeling the warmth throughout his body.  He hoped that she would find the robe and return to him. 

 

The hope that he would see Kagome again was all that he had in order to continue in this world.

 

Miroku and Inuyasha returned to Kaede’s village a few days later, Inuyasha going to the well every day, hoping that Kagome would appear once more. 


	12. Filling the Void

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kagome and Yashiro have dinner at the Higurashi's and Kagome tells Yashiro about Inuyasha...

Kagome held Yashiro’s hand as they walked up the shrine steps.  It was nearing Valentine’s day and Kagome’s mother had grown impatient about meeting Yashiro.  Kagome received a call the week before, telling her to bring Yashiro to dinner Friday night, not giving Kagome an option.

 

Kagome told Yashiro that her family wanted to meet him, and while he seemed nervous, he reluctantly agreed.  She was happy that he had agreed without fighting her.  He dressed in a red button down shirt and dress slacks, bringing a bundle of flowers for Kagome’s mother.  They reached the house and Kagome couldn’t help but stare at the sacred tree.  The tree always held a special place in her heart, remembering Inuyasha being sealed there.

 

The door opened and Kagome’s mother was on the other side, welcoming them in.  Yashiro bowed low to Kagome’s mother, as was the proper respect, and handed her the flowers.  They removed their shoes and headed towards the dining room where dinner was served.

 

The meal went by without a hitch.  Yashiro’s hand was often on Kagome’s leg, squeezing her hand at every chance.  He was nervous, meeting the family of the girl he was infatuated with.

 

“So, Yashiro, what is it that you do?” Kagome’s mother asked sweetly, filling his bowl with more rice.

 

“I’m a doctoral student, but I teach history of the Sengoku Jidai.  My dissertation is focused on the demon mythology of that time period,” he answered, accepting the rice bowl with two hands.  Kagome’s mother and grandfather stared at him, giving a knowing look.  Yashiro felt a little nervous.  “I’ve always found the subject fascinating, the idea that demons walked among humans,” he added, hoping to keep the stares at bay.

 

“You know, you look an awful lot like Inuyasha,” Souta began to say, but Kagome kicked him under the table. 

 

“Inuyasha?” Yashiro asked, turning to Kagome.  “Who’s Inuyasha?”

 

Kagome’s mother began to cough, “Who wants tea?  Yashiro, you look thirsty!”  She quickly placed a cup of tea in front of Yashiro. 

 

“He’s nobody,” Kagome replied, giving off a tone that meant to drop the subject.  Yashiro’s curiosity was peaked to say the least, but he kept his mouth shut and took the tea. 

 

“You know, this shrine has a deep history to the feudal age.  We’re one of the oldest shrines in all of Japan, with relics as old as Japan itself,” her grandfather began to say, peaking Yashiro’s interest.

 

“Yes, I’ve read about this shrine before,” Yashiro stated.  “Your sacred tree is incredibly old, if I’ve read correctly.”

 

Her grandfather nodded his head.  “It’s at least a thousand years old, with several stories told about the demons who would come to the tree and the mikos who guarded it.”

 

Yashiro was wrapped up in Kagome’s grandfather’s story, letting Kagome excuse herself to help her mother clean up the dishes.  As they washed dishes, her mother began to speak to her.

 

“You weren’t kidding, he looks like a human version of Inuyasha,” her mother began, causing Kagome’s shoulders to slump.

 

“I know, it’s a bit distracting sometimes.  He really looks like Inuyasha when his hair is down, I have trouble discerning the difference between the two of them sometimes.”

 

Her mother began to dry the dishes Kagome had been washing.  “He seems to be very protective of you though,” her mother said, giving Kagome a warm smile.  “He was nervous, but he was putting on a brave front for you. Have you met his family yet?”

 

Kagome shook her head.  “He has no family.  His parents died when he was young and he’s been on his own since he was a teenager.”  Kagome figured her mother didn’t need to know his work history. 

 

“Oh, that’s terrible,” her mother said, looking into the dining room, seeing that Yashiro was absorbed into the grandfather’s story about the shrine. 

 

“He’s fine though, he’s a tough guy,” Kagome sighed, washing the last dish.  “He’s very protective of me though, it gets a bit exhausting.”

 

“Well, Inuyasha was like that too,” her mother reasoned.  “I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if he was Inuyasha reincarnated.  He reminds me a lot of Inuyasha too.  Even Souta commented on it.”  Kagome’s face looked downcast.  She looked out the window to see the building that housed the bone eaters well.  “Kagome, are you alright?”

 

Kagome sighed.  “Yeah, I need a minute to myself though.  I’m going to the well.  Can you keep Yashiro distracted for a few minutes?”

 

Kagome’s mother looked into the dining room to see that he was talking to Kagome’s grandfather about the different demon mummies that were found in shrines around Japan.  “I think your grandfather will keep him distracted for a while.”

 

Kagome smiled, sneaking out the back door to the well.  Her mother began to tidy up the kitchen, hoping that Kagome would find what she was looking for.

 

Kagome’s grandfather excused himself from the table to use the toilet, when Yashiro realized that it was just him and Souta at the table.  They looked at each other for a moment, taking each other in.

 

“So… who’s Inuyasha?” Yashiro asked, wanting to know who made Kagome so uneasy.

 

“Oh, he’s Kagome’s ex-boyfriend.  He looks really similar to you, but his hair was silver.  He was a warrior, if you will.”  Yashiro’s face looked ashen, surprised to hear that he looked like Kagome’s ex.

 

“Were they close?” Yashiro asked, afraid to hear the answer.

 

“Oh yeah, when he left she wouldn’t stop pining for him.  When she was asleep, she would talk, usually calling his name.  She used to cry a lot for him too.”  Souta took a sip of his tea.  “She’s probably going to get mad at me for telling you this, but you’ve had a good effect on her.  She’s not so sad anymore.  Sometimes she’ll sit by the sacred tree and get emotional, or she’ll go to the well and talk to herself, but not like she used to.”

 

Yashiro felt the concern for Kagome grow.  It was unhealthy to pine for someone like that.  He had never noticed her talking in her sleep since they’d been together, but there had been a few times that she had been alone and been emotional.  He wondered if it was because of this Inuyasha guy.  He didn’t like him one bit, making his Kagome cry. 

 

“I wonder where Kagome went,” Souta commented, seeing that Kagome wasn’t in the kitchen with their mother.  Yashiro looked and saw that Kagome was gone too.  “I bet she’s at the well,” Souta shrugged, finishing his tea.  “Hey, do you want to play a game?”

 

“Not now,” Yashiro stated, excusing himself from the table.  He went to the front door and put on his shoes, walking out to the shrine.  He walked along the buildings until he heard Kagome’s voice in one of the older buildings.  She was talking, her voice emotional.  He put his back to the building, listening in.

 

“Inuyasha, I can’t wait for you anymore.  I wanted you to come back but its different now,” Kagome was mumbling.  “I’ve fallen in love with someone else, and it’s not fair to him that I’m still in love with you.  He deserves better, he deserves someone who will love him without loving someone else.  I love him so much and I can’t wait anymore…”

 

Yashiro felt his chest swell with pride.  She loved him.  But knowing that he was sharing her heart with another man, this Inuyasha, bothered him.  He continued to listen.

 

“I know it’s impossible to pass through the well, but I wish I could see you one last time…”

 

_Pass through the well?_ Yashiro thought to himself.  He could hear her crying, which broke his heart.  He didn’t want her to suffer, especially because of some asshole.    


“Kagome?” he said, walking into the well house.  Kagome was on her knees, clutching the well.  She turned to look at him, her face stained with tears. 

 

“Yashiro… what are you doing here?” Kagome asked, wiping away her tears.  Yashiro walked so he was directly in front of Kagome.

 

“Is it true?” Yashiro asked, his face sober.  Kagome looked up at him, her eyes wide as discs.

 

“Is what true?” she asked, biting back a sob.

 

“That you love me?” he asked, his hand reaching up to touch her face.  She leaned her hand into his face, letting out a sigh.

 

They stood in silence for a moment, Yashiro waiting for her answer.  He was afraid of what she was going to say, of how she would react.  Finally, she whispered so quietly that he could hardly hear her in the darkness of the well house.

 

“Yes…”

 

He leaned forward and kissed her forehead.  “Come on, tell me about this Inuyasha that I apparently look like,” he said, leading her away from the well.  He felt his chest swell with more pride, knowing that Kagome loved him.  He could forgive the fact she was in love with someone else because she loved him.  He didn’t like he’d have to fight for her affection, but he had pretty good standing thus far.  He had never seen this Inuyasha, and it sounded like that he was gone, Kagome waiting for him. 

 

They sat near the sacred tree, Kagome taking Yashiro’s hand.  “I don’t know if you’re going to believe me or not… it sounds really farfetched…”

 

He squeezed her hand.  “Just try.”

 

She took a deep breath.  “On my fifteenth birthday, my cat ran into the well house.  I went to find him, and a demon burst through the well and dragged me down inside it, transporting me five hundred years back in the past to the Feudal Age of Japan.  I was able to escape the demon, and while I was wandering the forest, I came upon the sacred tree, but there was a demon sealed to it--- Inuyasha.  Later that evening, I broke the seal on him and he saved my life.  However,” she said, lifing the side of her shirt to show him a nearly-invisible scar.  “My body was harboring the jewel of four souls, also known as the Shikon Jewel.  There’s an entire legend at this shrine about the Shikon Jewel, but I’ll go over that another time.

 

“When a demon stole the jewel, I shot an arrow at the demon with part of its leg attached, shattering it.  The shards were scattered all across Japan, so Inuyasha and I had to find the pieces of the jewel.  I found out later that I was the reincarnation of the last guardian of the jewel, a priestess named Kikyo.  We looked a lot alike, but our personalities were pretty different.  Inuyasha and I made friends along our journey, but eventually, we fell in love.”

 

Yashiro was trying to follow the story, having a hard time believing that she traveled through time to fall in love with a demon.  However, what unnerved him is how genuine her story sounded.  Her voice was honest, the way she told the story, it sounded like she was recalling from her own personal memories, making it more genuine.  Her brother had said that he looked like this Inuyasha, so he was a real person, at least to his knowledge.  He heard Kagome continue the story.

 

“We had to defeat a demon named Naraku, and it was incredibly difficult, but we did.  When the jewel was whole, I was trapped inside the darkness of the jewel for three days, and when Inuyasha was finally able to reach me, I had almost made a wish that would have trapped me in the jewel.  I was so scared, but Inuyasha saved me like he always did.  That was the only time we kissed,” Kagome admitted, a blush touching her cheeks.  “I wished for the jewel to disappear, and the well brought Inuyasha and I back to this time.  I was told that the well had disappeared for three days.  Mama, grandpa and Souta were scared, and when I saw them, I ran into their arms, crying, relieved to be home.  Inuyasha was pulled back into the well, and that was the last time I saw him.  The well never worked again.”

 

They were silent for a few minutes.  Finally, Kagome began to speak again.  “I don’t know what happened to him.  I’ve searched the records of the shrine to see if there was something, anything, telling me what happened to him.  There’s no record of Inuyasha.  He lives… only in my memory,” she said, tears falling from her eyes again.  Yashiro wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her to him. 

 

“You really loved him,” Yashiro stated.  It wasn’t a question.  Her love for him was evident.

 

“Yeah… and then I met you,” she said, looking up at him.  “You look just like he did on the new moon, when he lost his demon powers and became human.  You act a lot like him in a lot of ways, it’s the only reason I even noticed you at first.  But as I’ve gotten to know you, you’re both very different people.  You’ve been so patient with me, so kind, and he wasn’t like that at all.  He was jealous all the time, impatient, stubborn…”

 

Yashiro chuckled.  “I get pretty jealous too,” he stated, feeling the jealousy of this Inuyasha who had stolen Kagome’s heart.  “And I’m pretty stubborn too.”

 

She shook her head.  “Not like he was, but he was a loner, refusing to let anyone in.  You’re not like that… not to his degree.”  She thought for a minute of what to say next.  “You know… my mother told me she thinks you may be his reincarnation.  She thinks that maybe, when he died, he made it his goal to find me in his next life, just as Kikyo had decided to find Inuyasha in her next life, which is why I was born.”

 

He felt her theory was a little farfetched… but it resonated with him.  He was a firm believer in fate and karma, and maybe she spoke a little truth.  He never cared for anyone like had cared for Kagome.  Perhaps, in a past life, they had been lovers?

 

He pushed the thought out of his head, there was no way…

 

But it explained why he grew feelings for her so fast, why he was so protective of her, why he couldn’t ever get enough of her.  He realized that he was in love with her too, and he would be damned if another man got to hold her heart when he wasn’t even around anymore.

 

He lifted her chin so she was looking at him, staring into her eyes.  “Kagome… This s a lot to take in…”

 

She gave him a weak smile.  “I knew you wouldn’t believe me… I wouldn’t believe me either…”

 

He was taken back.  “It’s just… hard to follow…”

 

She shook her head.  “Forget I told you about it.”  She moved to get up, but he held her tight, not letting her go.

 

“No, I’m glad you shared this with me.  I want you to know… that I love you too.”

 

Her eyes grew wide, staring at him.  He leaned down and kissed her, both of them feeling the loneliness melt away.  To Kagome, the kiss felt different than before.  There was more fire in her stomach, her body craved his touch more than it had ever craved it before, if that had been possible.  Her hands grasped at his shirt, leaning into him.  His hands wrapped around her waist, pulling her closer.  “I don’t want to be without you,” he whispered against her lips.  She smiled. 

 

“I don’t want to be without you either,” she whispered back, kissing him again.  She loved the feeling she got when she kissed him.  It was electrifying, filling her body with warmth, melting the loneliness that surrounded her heart caused by the void Inuyasha left.  “Come on, let’s go back home.”

 

They walked back to her mother’s house to say goodbye.  She gave her mother a hug, waving goodbye to her grandpa and brother.  They walked to the train hand in hand, no words needing to be exchanged between them. 

 

When they got off the train in the student district, they stared out into the city lights.  “Do you want to stay at my place tonight?” Yashiro asked her.  She shook her head. 

 

“I don’t have any clothes to stay at your place,” she told him. 

 

“You can grab your clothes and we can head to my place,” he offered.  She smiled.

 

“I’d like that.” 

 

They walked hand in hand through Tokyo’s student district until they reached her apartment.  She let herself in with Yashiro behind her.  She closed the door and went to her dresser to pull out some clothes to get through the weekend.  Yashiro watched her go through her drawer, red lace catching his eye.

 

He walked over and peeked over her shoulder.  “Is that some of the stuff you got with Sachiko?”

 

She squeaked.  “Uh, yeah,” she said, her voice an octave higher than normal.  He pulled out the red lace teddy.  It was a red lace brocade with holes where the breasts would be, and it was crotchless.  He gave her a wolfish grin. 

 

“I’d kill to see you wear this,” he told her, giving her a wink.  She blushed.  She pulled out the black baby doll chemise that had a little red bow between the breasts.

 

“Would you like to see me in this?” she asked innocently.  His eyes went dark with desire.  She was teasing him, and he was eating it up.

 

“Or how about this?” she said as she pulled out black fishnet stockings.  He bit his lip, letting out a groan.  “I also have a red ruffled garter belt…” she mentioned, seeing his face turn a little red. 

 

“Stop, before I take you right here,” he warned her, causing her eyes to widen. 

 

It had been two weeks since they had first had sex, and they hadn’t done it since.  They had fooled around a little bit, but never enough to where they jumped in the sheets again.  Honestly, Kagome didn’t have an interest in jumping in the sheets with him again… until tonight.  He told her he loved her, she had told him she loved him, she suspected it would be different this time around.  Her gut told her that it would be better next time, and she was having fun teasing him.

 

She closed the drawer and walked over to her closet, pulling out the iRabbit.  “You know… I haven’t really played with this since I bought it… I feel like it’s kind of a waste of money if I don’t at least play with it again…” she told him, giving him a wink.  He moaned.

 

“Why don’t we play with it right now?” he suggested, pulling her to him.  He leaned down and kissed her hungrily.  She moaned into his mouth, her hands moving to the waistband of his pants, pulling his hips into hers.  She could feel his erection through his trousers, making her blush.  It really didn’t take much to get him going. 

 

She led him to her bed, falling back on to the bed, taking him with her.  His hand moved under her shirt to cup her breast, fondling it.  The fabric of her bra was thin, allowing him to pinch her nipple through the fabric.  She let out a moan, encouraging him to continue.  His hand moved to unclip her bra, releasing the mounds of flesh from their entrapment.  She broke the kiss to take her shirt off, throwing her bra across the room.  He took the moment to unbutton his shirt, throwing it with her clothes on the floor.  She sat up and kissed him once more, her hands moving to unbuckle his pants frantically. 

 

Tonight, she needed him, all of him. 

 

His hands moved up her skirt, pulling down her panties over her legs.  The panties hit the floor and Yashiro’s hands were back up her skirt, rubbing her thighs.  He kissed her deeply once more, their tongues wrestling for dominance.  He moved to kiss down her neck, his hands playing with the mounds of flesh, rolling her nipples between his fingers.  He took a nipple into his mouth, sucking gently, teasing it with his teeth. 

 

“Yashiro…” she moaned.  He smiled against her breast, loving the sound of his name on her lips.  He reached to grab the toy, turning it on, feeling the vibrations.  He sat up, staring at her laying exposed on the bed.  She stared at him, her cheeks flushed, her eyes watching him with desire.  Her lips were swollen from his kiss, causing him to be undone.  He moved the toy to her entrance, teasing her with it.  The vibrations felt especially nice, causing her to moan out as he slid it inside of her slowly, stretching her out.  It was a little painful at first, but as he slowly thrust the vibrating toy inside of her, she began to loosen up, rolling her hips into the toy, moaning loudly.  He inserted the full length of the toy inside her, the rabbit part of the toy resting on her clit, vibrating violently against her.  She could feel the pressure in her body build up quickly, the toy moving inside of her.  Yashiro watched her, determined to get her off.  He could tell she was close as her legs clenched up, her hands grasping the blankets beneath her.

 

“Yashiro!” she screamed, her body convulsing as he started to thrust the toy inside of her once more as she rode out her orgasm.  As her body began to calm down, he pulled the toy out of her, turning it off and setting it on the nightstand beside her.  She sat up and pulled him into a kiss, her legs wrapping around his waist as he pushed her back down onto the bed.  His pants were around his knees, the only thing between them were his boxers, his erection teasing her entrance through fabric.

 

She reached down and pulled him out of his boxers, letting his tip tease her entrance.  She needed him now.  She felt him slip inside of her slowly, filling her up.  It didn’t hurt this time, in fact, it felt amazing.  He watched her face as he slowly inserted himself, her legs tightening around his waist, encouraging him to go deeper.  When he was to the hilt, he pulled out and thrust inside of her slowly again, causing her to let out a moan.

 

“Oh Kagome… you’re so wet…” he moaned, thrusting inside of her once more.  She let out a cry. 

 

“Faster…” she moaned, surprising him.  He wasn’t going to argue as he began to thrust inside of her faster, feeling her clench around his cock.  She moaned louder as he continued to thrust, moving down to kiss her once more.  He was careful not to go too deep inside of her, afraid of hurting her, but she continued to match his thrusts, her body responding before her mind.

 

Her arms were wrapped around his neck, her nails digging into his shoulders, her face buried in his neck as he continued to thrust.  Her body began to feel the pressure build up again, the delicious sensation of being one with Yashiro was filling her body up with a feeling she had never truly felt before.  He was, again, taking her to new heights she never knew she could reach.

 

“Yashiro,” she moaned into his neck, dragging her nails across his back.  “Harder,” she moaned, wanting to reach climax.

 

He began to thrust into her with force, causing her to cry out more.  She was so close to reaching climax, her entire body began to clench up, she could feel it.  Her hips matched his frantic thrusts, her body crying out for release. 

 

Her body began to convulse as her hoarse cry escaped her lips, her body clenching his cock as he continued to thrust inside of her.  He let out a moan of his own as he began to feel close to the edge. 

 

He continued his frantic pace, hearing her continue to cry out as he reached the edge.  At the last moment, he pulled out and grabbed his cock, pumping until he came on her stomach.  She stared in surprise, unsure of what just happened.  She hadn’t seen him orgasm yet, and she wasn’t sure why he pulled out.  He rolled to her side, gasping for breath.

 

“Kagome… that was… damn,” he gasped, letting out a laugh a minute later.  “I’m sorry about the mess.”

 

She stared at the cum on her stomach, trying to figure out what to say.  He saw the confusion on her face and laughed again.  “I’m sorry, I don’t know if you’re on birth control, I don’t want to risk a pregnancy…”

 

_Ah, that makes sense,_ she thought to herself.  She lay there for a moment, catching her breath.  She put her legs over the side of the bed to go to the shower to wash off, to find that she could barely walk.  Her legs were shaky and almost numb.  She stood up and fell back on the bed.  She turned to look at him and had a wolfish grin on his face. 

 

“Hang on, I’ll help you,” he said, getting off the bed, taking her hands to help her up.  After she stood for a moment, he helped her walk to the bathroom, turning the shower on.

 

“Why are you grinning so much?” she asked him, unable to shake off his giddiness.

 

“You can barely walk… that’s usually a good sign,” he told her, stepping into the shower with her. 

 

She gave him a sideways glance.  “I don’t think it’s good that my legs weren’t working properly,” she muttered, soaping up her loofah and scrubbing her stomach clean.  He took the loofah from her and began to scrub her back, causing her to sigh in relief.  He slowly washed her backside, moving down, getting everything soapy and slick.  He moved his hands to the front of her, feeling her wet skin slick with soap.  His hands dropped the loofah as he began to move his hands over her body, kissing her shoulder.  Her back was to his naked front, the water pouring over them in the shower.  His hands moved to massage her breasts, causing her head to go back as she moaned.  He kissed her neck, moving up to kiss her again.   

 

“I do, means I did my job right,” he muttered against her lips.  His fingers pulled on her nipples, pinching them lightly under the hot water.  She let out a gasp.  She could feel him growing with excitement again.  “And I could do it right again too…” His hands moved down her stomach, over her hips, down to play with her center.  He could feel how slick she felt, his fingers moving to slowly enter her once more.  She let out a gasp, moving her hips into his, moaning. 

 

She bent over, exposing herself to him.  His hands moved to her hips, rubbing them gently as the water poured over her back.  He aligned his cock to her entrance and inserted himself slowly, letting out a moan as he entered her.  He started slowly, thrusting at an agonizingly slow pace, letting her adjust to his size once more.  She felt so much tighter in this position, causing him to bite back the moans.  To Kagome, he felt bigger, but there was no pain, just exquisite pleasure. 

 

She pushed her hips hard into his, crying out.  His hands grasped her hips, thrusting harder into her, causing her moans to get louder.  He began to pound into her, feeling her clench around his cock.  She stood up partway, his hands moving to squeeze her breasts, hanging onto them as he thrust inside of her. 

 

She felt her body release quickly, causing her to cry out as her body shuddered from the orgasm.  Yashiro came shortly after, pulling out at the last minute and coming onto the floor of the shower.  The bathroom at this point was fully steamed, and Kagome could barely stand anymore from their activities. 

 

He turned off the water, stepping out of the shower to grab a towel.  She stood in the shower, drunk from their activities, her body unwilling to move.  He had a cocky grin on his face as he began to dry her off, enjoying the look of the water on her body.  He helped her get out of the shower and led her to the main room of her studio apartment, letting her sit on the bed.  He began to get dressed as she watched him through half-lidded eyes. 

 

“Come on, let’s go back to my place,” he said, gently nudging her.  She shook her head.

 

“I don’t think I can walk that far,” she said honestly, a smile touching her lips.  She felt giddy.  He gave her a soft peck on the lips. 

  
“I’ll help you.  I want you to come over, and I don’t really fit in your bed,” he reasoned, finding a pair of panties from her top drawer, helping her get dressed.  Within a few minutes she was dressed, but she was walking with a strange waddle, causing him to grin all the more.  She took his arm and they walked arm in arm through the streets of Tokyo, her face aglow.  She looked up at him different than before.  In her eyes, all she saw was the man she loved, not Inuyasha or Yashiro---a different entity all together, just a soul that filled the void that she had been missing this entire time.  For the first time in her life, she felt complete.

 

When they got to his apartment, he led her to the bedroom, kissing her gently.  She could feel his arousal again, wondering how she was ever going to keep up with his appetite. 


	13. Burning Embers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kagome and Yashiro get into a fight...

It was the middle of March, and Kagome sat in her gynecologist’s office.   She wore a paper dressing gown and was fiddling with her hands.  The room was bright, with pictures of babies and women’s reproductive organs on the walls with warning signs against smoking.  She sat patiently in the room, embarrassed at what the doctor would think about her visit.

 

Her mind was running a mile a minute, and she was sure her mother would be shocked if she knew the reason for visiting the gynecologist.  Considering all the intimacy she was sharing with Yashiro, she wanted to make sure that she made it through college without a pregnancy.

 

She heard a knock at the door, the doctor stepping in the room a moment later.  The doctor was an elderly woman, with long grey hair tied back at the bottom of her neck.  She wore small glasses on her wrinkled face, with a white lab coat and green scrubs.  She sat in front of Kagome, smiling.  Kagome felt more nervous, having to tell the doctor the reason for her visit.

 

“So… Higurashi Kagome… I’m doctor Aso, I’m your gynecologist today.  Tell me dear, why are you hear today?  You shouldn’t need a pap-smear for at least another year,” the doctor said sweetly, looking at Kagome’s chart.

 

Kagome started to fiddle with her thumbs more, afraid to look up at the doctor.  “I, um… need to get on birth control,” she said bashfully.

 

“Ah, I’m guessing you have a new boyfriend.  How frequently are you both having sex?” she asked.

 

Kagome tried to do the math in her head.  “Three to four times a day,” she said, her face turning a deep shade of red.  When she actually did the math, her mind was reeling.  For the last month, they had been increasing the frequency of having sex, first at once or twice a day, but now it was getting to be at least four times a day, sometimes spread out, sometimes back to back.  They were both insatiable.

 

The doctor let out a chuckle.  “Well, there are different types of birth control, what kind are you interested in?”

 

Kagome’s eyes grew wide with surprise.  “I thought there was only the pill.”

 

“Oh no dear, there’s a shot that you get once every three months, there’s the nuva ring that you insert for three weeks, then you take it out and get your period, there’s the Mirena that we insert inside of you and you won’t get a period for five years, there’s the Paraguard, you’ll still get periods, but there’s no hormones, there’s an arm injection that’s good for five years…” the doctor went on, trying to go over what other birth control forms.  “If you want to stay away from hormonal, I would suggest the paraguard, but there are side effects.  It can be painful for a few days after inserting, and it could make your periods heavier and hurt a little more.  There have been instances of it breaking through your urterine wall, but that’s incredibly rare.”

 

Kagome’s jaw dropped, there were so many options.  “Well, my periods are usually pretty light.  What are the side effects of the hormonal birth controls?”

 

“Oh, they can cause breast tenderness, mood swings, lightened periods, spotting sometimes, decreased libido…”

 

Kagome thought about it, she wasn’t sure she wanted hormones.  “I’ll try the one that doesn’t have hormones,” she decided.

 

“Alright, do you want to do it now?” the doctor asked.

 

“Yes,” Kagome said.

 

The doctor looked over Kagome’s chart.  “When was your last period?”

 

“Oh, I finished it two days ago,” Kagome replied.  The doctor looked at Kagome.

 

“Should be fine, put your legs in the stirrups.”

 

 

Kagome left the doctor’s office a half hour later, feeling heavy cramps and having difficulty walking.  The procedure was easy enough, but it was incredibly painful to put the IUD inside of her.  She was sure Yashiro would be excited that she was finally on birth control, but she wasn’t going to be in any shape to do anything for a few days. 

 

She remembered that it was midterms, and it was probably a good excuse to not see him for a week.  She needed to study and she had to work on top of it.  When she got home, she saw that she had a text message from Yashiro.

 

**I came home and you weren’t here… are you working?**

She smiled, quickly typing a response.  **No I was at the doctor’s.  Guess who’s got birth control now?**

She put her phone down and laid down on her bed, stretching out.  Laying down wasn’t painful, but moving around was.  The doctor said that she’d be tender for a couple of days, so avoiding Yashiro would probably be best.  She looked at her textbooks and groaned, she needed to study, but she didn’t want to move.

 

Her phone buzzed.  **Oh really?  You should definitely come over tonight then.**

She giggled.  **No way, I got an IUD and it’s really painful right now** **L  You’ll have to survive for a few days with your hand.**

She was realizing how brazen she’d become in the last couple of months.  She didn’t feel bashful telling him anything anymore.  When she got her period, he bought tampons for her to keep at his house, and he provided her with a hot water bottle and chocolate for the entire four days.  She smiled, he was so considerate of her needs sometimes.  She heard her phone buzz again.

 

**Aww, if you come over I’ll take care of you.**

She smiled.  **I need to study for midterms, how about on Friday we hang out?  I’ll be done with midterms by then.**

It was Monday, he could survive four days until he saw her again. 

 

**I need to study too… can’t we study together?**

She giggled again.  She felt like a school girl.  **Maybe later this week, I’m not going anywhere tonight though.**

She put her phone on the nightstand and got up, gripping her stomach painfully.  She went over to her desk and pulled out her notebook and textbook.  It was going to be a long week, but she knew it would be worth it.

 

Her phone remained silent for the rest of the evening as Kagome studied late into the night.  When it was nearly midnight, Kagome got up to get herself some tea.  She was hungry, she had skipped dinner to continue studying.  Her head was hurting from studying so much.  She made her tea and sat back at her desk, looking at her homework.  She was sure she would get a decent score on her midterms, but she knew that she had been slacking a bit more than she would have liked.  Yashiro had been really distracting.

 

She checked her phone, there were no new messages.   Her stomach growled loudly, causing her to sigh.  She never kept food in her own house anymore because she was always at Yashiro’s.  She walked around her apartment, it wasn’t as painful to walk anymore.  She sighed, not knowing what to do. 

 

She stared at her phone, finally deciding to text Yashiro again.  She knew he’d be awake, he rarely went to bed before midnight.  **Done studying for the night, what are you up to?**

Her phone buzzed a moment later.  **Trying to figure out how to cook.  I’m starving.**

She laughed out loud.  He hadn’t cooked once since she had started to stay at his house so often.  They rarely went out either.  **I’m starving too, and my kitchen doesn’t have anything.**

She wondered what he’d offer. She knew him to be one to jump into action.  His stomach was the only force stronger than his libido, she’d noticed.  If he was hungry and she was wearing something skimpy, he’d eat, then pounce on her.  It was an occurrence that reminded her fiercely of Inuyasha.  She heard her phone buzz.

 

**That sucks.**

_Ah, he’s hangry.  No negotiating with him now,_ Kagome thought to herself.  She didn’t want to deal with him if he was feeling hangry, so she put her phone down and drank her tea.  She put Netflix on her computer and sat in bed, watching a movie.

 

At the end of the first episode of the show she was watching, she heard a knock at the door.  She looked through the peep hole and saw the angry face of Yashiro.  She giggled to herself.  She opened the door and saw he was carrying two large bags.

 

“I hope you like cheap ramen and gyoza,” he grumbled, setting the bags on her counter.  She giggled, wrapping her arms around his waist.

 

“You’re too good for me,” she mumbled.  He dug out the bowls of ramen out of bags and the box of gyoza. 

 

“Damn straight,” he grumbled back, walking over to her bed with the ramen and gyoza in hand.  She followed him with her ramen and they sat on the bed next to him. 

 

It was like night and day, as soon as he had food in his stomach he was far more considerate.  He went from being grumpy to being back to his normal, easy-going self.  However, Kagome noticed that he seemed a little on edge.

 

“How are your midterms going?” she finally asked him as he gulped the last of his ramen.  He looked at her as he wiped his mouth on his sleeve.

 

“They’re going fine, the papers are a little tedious, they want me to write a paper on a lesser-known myth, so I need to take a trip to Northern Japan next month and investigate a sacred item.  How are yours going?”

 

Kagome shrugged, “They’re going fine, my head hurts from studying…  You seemed a little on edge tonight, are you okay?”

 

He sighed, bowing his head.  “Sachiko is driving me absolutely nuts.  She wants me to do some work with her and I keep telling her no…”

 

Kagome gave him a dark look, jealousy rising in her chest.  “She wants you to work with her, huh?”   Yashiro looked at her and realized what she was thinking right away.

 

“Oh no, it’s nothing like that!” he began to explain. Worry was etched on his face.  “No, it’s voiceover work for a hentai.  It’s not… that.  She’s voicing a character in a hentai and they need a male voice and I used to do a lot of voice work so she asked me if I wanted to do it.  I really don’t want my name in a hentai when I’m so close to finishing my doctorate.”

 

Kagome felt the jealousy subside.  “Oh, I thought she was asking you to do some of your… older work,” she said, blushing. 

 

He laughed.  “She knows better than to ask me that now.  I made it very clear to her my last scene that I was not working in that business anymore.”

 

“Oh, your last scene with was Sachiko?” Kagome inquired.  She was feeling a little more curious now.

 

He blushed.  “Uh, yeah.  Her and another girl I worked with a lot.”

 

Kagome’s face turned bright red.  “Two girls?”

 

He nodded.  “That’s not really unheard of, most of my scenes were with multiple girls.  Sometimes there would be two men and one girl, sometimes it was groups… I told you, what I showed you was tamer.  The longer I was in the business, the crazier the scenes got.  I got more comfortable doing more stuff, so by the end it was pretty… uh… wild,” he explained, his face turning redder with each sentence.  They both looked straight ahead, avoiding each other’s gazes.  They had made a point to avoid talking about his work history, but now Kagome was wanting to ask more questions.

 

“So uh… did you enjoy being with two girls?” Kagome asked, her hands fidgeting.

 

He looked at her, his eyes wide.  “It had its time and place.  So this northern Japan trip…” he began, changing the subject.

 

“Oh, that sounds like a fun trip!  When are you going?”

 

His blush subsided, giving her a mischievous smile.  “I’m going the last week of April, just after the cherry blossoms.  The shrine is an older shrine, and they have this legend about a dog demon who was there with a mythical inau.  It’s a really cool legend, so I decided to investigate it.  I wanted to know if you wanted to take the trip with me.  It would be nice for us to get away for a weekend… explore the area… stay in a hot spring resort…”

 

She thought about it, it could be fun.  “I’d really like that, I’ll request the weekend off.  So tell me about the legend,” she said to him, squeezing his hand.  She had heard the words “dog demon” and wondered if the legend was about Inuyasha…

 

He gave her a crooked smile.  “It’s kind of funny, you mentioned that you were in love with a guy named Inuyasha once,” he didn’t miss her face faltering as he said Inuyasha’s name, but he decided to continue.  “The legend is supposedly about a dog forest spirit, which actually can be translated to sound like ‘Inuyasha.’  Apparently this dog forest spirit was looking for his long lost love, so he sealed himself away in this shrine to be with her again.”

 

Kagome’s eyes grew wide, what if the spirit was Inuyasha?  Did Inuyasha seal himself away?

 

Yashiro saw the hope flicker in her eyes, hoping that it was out of interest in taking a trip with him.  “Apparently the artifact is an inau that’s supposed to have magical powers.  I’m going to go to the shrine and find out more about the legend.  I thought you’d find it interesting, and it’d be an excuse for us to have some more quality time away from the city…”

 

Kagome’s heart was lifted.  There was something that Inuyasha left behind for her to find, she knew it.  “Yeah, but what if it really was Inuyasha?” Kagome asked him.  Yashiro’s face was quizzical, then he reached out and took her hands in his.

  
“Kagome, it’s just a legend,” he tried to reason, but she took her hands away from his.

 

“No, he wasn’t a legend.  What happened to me was real,” she told him, curling up in a ball.  “Inuyasha was real.”

 

“Kagome… I don’t doubt that he was real… but he’s gone.  He’s not coming back,” Yashiro tried to reason, but Kagome shot him a dirty look.

 

“You don’t know that,” she snapped.

 

She could see the hurt written across his face.  They sat in silence for a few minutes, Kagome unsure of what to say.  Suddenly, Yashiro stood up.  “I’m going home,” he said, no emotion in his voice.  “Enjoy your fantasy.”

 

With that, he left, slamming the door behind him.  She felt a sob escape her throat, burying her face in her knees.  _What am I doing? I should know better than to say stuff like that to him…_

She turned off the lights in her apartment and curled up under the blankets.  She stared at her phone, hoping Yashiro would message her.  Her stomach was still cramping from the IUD, she was hoping that it would be better by tomorrow.  After a half hour, it was after one in the morning, she decided to send him a message.

 

**I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings.**

She stared at her phone, hoping he would say something back.  After five minutes, there was still nothing.  She sighed, sending him another message.

 

**I would love to go with you to see the shrine, I think we need some time away… just the two of us.  You haven’t seen me in a bathing suit yet ;)**

She figured being a little fun would entice him to talk to her.  He texted her back a few minutes later.

 

**Yellow polka-dot bikini?**

She covered her mouth to stifle the giggles.  **Afraid not, it’s a green one piece.**

She could almost feel his disappointment.  He texted her back a few minutes later.  **Maybe you and Sachiko should go shopping again… she has great taste in bathing suits…**

She glared at her phone.  **I can’t really afford it right now.  You’ll have to deal.**

She put her phone on the nightstand, willing herself to sleep.  She didn’t think he was mad at her anymore, so she felt her eyes droop.  As she dreamed, she was transported in her mind to the Feudal age of Japan, where she had loved a hanyou. 

 

Friday had arrived and Kagome hadn’t really talked to Yashiro the entire week.  She had passed her midterms with flying colors and finally, her cramps had gone away.  They had been texting at night, but he hadn’t gone out of his way to visit her again.  She had the sneaking suspicion that he was still upset with her over their little disagreement. 

 

She realized that she had messed up.  Bringing up someone she used to be in love with, fighting with the guy she was dating now saying that he was coming back.  She realized now that perhaps he felt like he was her back up, or that she was only seeing him until she saw Inuyasha again, which wasn’t fair.

 

She had cried herself to sleep upon this realization, so she decided that she was going to see him right after work on Friday.  She only worked until 6 that night, and under her black button down shirt and red plaid skirt, she was wearing a red brocade teddy.  It had two thin straps that went down her chest to barely cover her nipples, meeting just above her belly button, down to split to become crotchless.  It was a little uncomfortable under her clothes, but she figured that if Yashiro saw it, she wouldn’t really have it on for long.

 

Six o’clock came, and she clocked out, heading to Yashiro’s.  She figured he was home, his last class was done at four and he usually waited for her at his apartment on Friday nights.  At least, that had been the norm as of late.  She got to his apartment and was about to let herself in when she heard a woman’s voice.

 

“Yashiro!  I don’t get what the big deal is!  It’s just voice work!”

 

“I told you, I’m not interested,” she heard Yashiro spit back to the woman. She assumed it was Sachiko in his apartment.  She let herself in and saw the two of them nose to nose, red in the face at each other.

 

“Kagome!” Sachiko squealed, running over to give Kagome a hug.  “Kagome, you have to tell him to do this job I’ve been telling him about---,” Sachiko began, but Kagome cut her off.

 

“I don’t want him doing it,” she said, her voice bland.  Yashiro’s face looked almost surprised, but Sachiko’s eyes grew wide.

 

“Oh, honey, it’s just him in a voice booth moaning in a microphone.  You know, you could play the other girl in the hentai… We need another girl, and it pays really well.”

 

This piqued Kagome’s attention.  She could use the extra money…

 

  She shook her head, no, she was not voicing in a hentai.  “No, I’m not going to voice in a hentai,” she decided firmly. 

 

Sachiko huffed.  “Ugh, you’re both impossible.  I’m leaving, Yashiro, call me when you change your mind.”

 

She stormed out of the apartment, slamming the door behind her.  Yashiro stood there, looking fairly annoyed.

 

“Hi,” he finally said after a moment of looking at Kagome.  She stared back at him.

 

“Yashiro, I think I owe you an apology…” she began to say, but he held up his hand.

 

“Let’s just forget it… alright?  I’ll forget Monday happened, and that incident with Sachiko happened, if you promise not to remind me that you’re still in love with someone else.”

 

She felt the blush rise to her cheeks.  “It’s not that, Yashiro, I promise it’s not like that.  I think that the first person you’re ever in love with… they leave a deep imprint on you… and I know he’s not coming back,” she said, her eyes getting teary.  “It was a long time ago, and my feelings for you continue to grow and I just don’t know how to handle them…”

 

She felt a tear fall, quickly wiping it away.  She looked up and saw that Yashiro was watching her, hurt on his face.  He stepped closer to her, pulling her into an embrace. 

 

“I know you love someone else, and it makes me so angry to know that I can’t have you to myself,” he whispered, squeezing her tightly.  “I love you Kagome, that’s not going to change, I just wish that I had you to myself.”

 

Kagome nuzzled her face in his chest, salting his shirt with her tears.  “You do have me all to yourself… I’m all yours… mind, body and soul…”

 

He chuckled, petting her hair.  “But I don’t… You love Inuyasha…”

 

“And I love you…”

 

He pulled her back and held her face in his hands, wiping away her tears.  She looked at him with large tear stained eyes, breaking his heart.  “Let’s just forget this ever happened, alright?”

 

Kagome knew it wasn’t worth arguing with him, she didn’t want to fight with him.  She nodded, leaning into his hands.  He leaned down and placed a soft kiss on her lips, melting away her sorrows once more.  When the kiss broke, she had a smile on her face.

 

“I always love when you kiss me,” she sighed.  “I feel all of my loneliness melt away…”

 

He smiled, kissing her again.  “I feel the same way…”

 

She took his hand in hers, leading him to his bedroom.  She needed him to know that she was with him now, that she cared deeply about him.  She wanted to feel him touch her, to hear his sighs, to be one with him, even if just for a few moments.  He allowed her to lead him, his eyes following her swinging hips.  When they reached the bed, Kagome took his face in her hands, pulling her to him in a gentle kiss. 

 

Tonight, she didn’t want to be hurried or rushed like they normally did.  She wanted him to take his time, she wanted to memorize everything about Yashiro’s body, every bump and scar, reflecting in her mind that he wasn’t Inuyasha—he was Yashiro Nagasaki, the history professor that stole her heart.

 

As they kissed, her fingers moved down to unbutton his white shirt, slowly moving over the fabric to feel the warmth beneath her fingers.  When the last button was opened, she pulled his shirt off his shoulders, her hands skimming over his skin delicately.  Her hands moved up his arms slowly, feeling the muscles beneath her shaking hands.  She broke the kiss to gaze at him, looking at every inch of him, memorizing his body.  Her hand moved to a scar on his shoulder, it was faint, a tinge lighter than the rest of his skin.  Her fingers moved over it, feeling the slim bulge in his flesh.

 

“How did you get this scar,” she whispered, moving to kiss it lightly.  His breath hitched in his throat.

 

“Knife fight when I was 16… I had to get eight stitches,” he said under his breath.  Kagome’s lips moved across his chest to find a small burn scar on his peck.  It was light, and the size of a cigarette end.  She gazed up at him with questioning eyes.  “My foster mother at the last home I was at burned me with a cigarette when I refused to do the dishes.”  She kissed down his stomach, moving over every bulging muscle of his abs, seeing another slim scar on his left side.  She was on her knees at this point, looking up at him with a questioning gaze.  “Bar fight when I was seventeen, the guy had a knife…”  She kissed his scar, her hands moving to unbuckle his pants slowly.  Once they were unbuckled, she pulled them down slowly, his eyes never breaking contact with hers.  She tugged down his boxers next, his erection springing free.

 

She looked down his cock, opening her mouth and placing the head on her tongue.  She moved her head down, taking a few inches of him in her mouth until he reached the back of her throat.  She began to suck hard on his cock, slowly taking him out of his mouth, to move back down it.  She heard him moan as he clenched his fists.  She knew he was trying not to hold her head, just as she knew he was trying not to buck his hips.  Her hands moved to hold his hips as she continued to move her lips, sucking on him, tasting him.  She began to hum as she sucked, causing him to moan out once more. 

 

She pulled him completely out of her mouth, licking down the underside of his cock, taking his sac into her mouth, sucking gently.  She could hear him moan, bringing a smile to her face.  She sucked a little harder, her tongue teasing the sac in her mouth as her hand moved to stroke him, pumping his cock.  She squeezed a little harder than normal, continually pumping him while licking the sac in her mouth, moaning. 

 

“Kagome…” she heard him moan.  She pulled back, letting his balls fall out of her mouth as she began to kiss back up his body, her hand never stopping the long strokes.  When she was on her feet again, his hands grasped her face, pulling her into a deep kiss.  She let go of his cock, her hands moving to his chest, her nails digging into him as she felt his loneliness in his kiss for the first time.  He kissed her with a hunger that was not unknown to her.  He had been as lonely as she had, and he needed her right now just as much as she needed him…

 

His hands began to slowly fumble with the buttons on her shirt, his hands lightly grazing her breasts.  She moved her hands behind her to unzip the skirt, letting it fall to the floor.  When he opened the last button, he slowly moved his hands back up her body, slowly pulling the shirt open and off of her slender figure until he heard the shirt drop on the floor.  He wasn’t expecting her to be wearing a red lace teddy, bringing a smile to his lips.

 

“As much as I like the teddy…” he whispered, kissing her neck, “I much prefer you natural… without adornments…” He slowly pulled the teddy off of her body, his hands memorizing every curve.  The teddy fell to the floor a moment later and they stood before each other naked.  Kagome was feeling bashful, moving her arms to cover herself, but he stopped her.  His gaze was intense as he gazed at her naked body, memorizing everything about her.  He remembered her showing him the small scar on her side from the Shikon Jewel, but her skin was otherwise flawless, like porcelain.  He saw no imperfections on her pale skin, seeing the goosebumps he incurred as his fingers lightly traced her flesh.  He reached out and kissed her, their bodies flush, his arms around her waist, pulling her to him. 

 

The found themselves on the bed, Kagome on her back with Yashiro over her.  His hair cascaded around them, creating a shroud around them.  His hair tickled her body as he moved down her body, leaving a trail of kisses.  His mouth hot on her flesh, he moved achingly slow, refusing to neglect any part of her body.  He was so infinitely gentle, far gentler than he had ever been before.  His touch was light, fingers tracing the curves of her body, causing Kagome to be more aware of the electric feeling his touch invoked.  Her breathing was ragged, anticipating his touch, but surprised by it.  He kissed her soft flesh, his tongue darting inside of her, tasting her sweet cavern.  She let out a soft gasp, his tongue working magic on her.  Her legs moved to be on his shoulders, pushing her hips upwards to give him better access, silently begging him to bring her to new heights. 

 

She felt her body react to him in a new way, her body filling with the warmth of burning embers, slowly growing.  This wasn’t the usual fires of passion that often engulfed them, this was a slow burn, slowly growing, taking its time to take over.  It was an entirely different feeling she was being absorbed into, with the face of the man she loved coming to mind.

 

He felt her body clench, her legs locking his head into place as his tongue thrust inside of her, teasing her center as she wriggled and moaned.   He wanted her to reach new heights, he wanted her to think of only him, making her his.  He wanted her to look into his eyes and say the three words that taunted him, which he craved, that he needed to survive. 

 

Her body convulsed as a hoarse moan escaped her lips.  He continued to taunt her, his tongue still working its magic as she shuddered, feeling new heights.  When her body went limp, he kissed his way back up her body, keeping one of her legs on his shoulder.  When he reached her face, he kissed her hungrily, teasing her center with his cock.  He slid inside of her, enjoying the feel of her without the restriction of a sheath.  He entered slowly, letting her fully encompass his size as she moaned out.  Their lips never parted as he slowly rocked inside of her, getting deeper every time, deeper than she knew he could get.  She moved her leg off his shoulder so she could wrap both of her legs around his waist, silently begging him to make her his.  Her arms wrapped tightly around his neck, their lips never parting as she felt her body build up more.

 

Her loneliness melted away once more, wrapped in the arms of this man.  He felt years of neglect dissipate as he felt her encompass him in her warmth.  He felt himself pour his heart out to her as he thrust, silently telling her that he needed her more than he needed the air in his lungs.  He didn’t want the moment to end, feeling her so close to him, succumbing to his own feelings, realizing that he didn’t want to spend another moment without Kagome.

 

She felt her body clench once more, tightening around him.  The image in her mind refused to part, her heart opening completely for the first time in years.  She needed someone to be this close to, and as her body began to reach new heights once more, she moaned the name of the man she loved, her lips never parting Yashiro’s.

 

She felt him quicken his pace, emptying himself inside of her.  They stayed still for a moment, basking in the love making they just experienced.

 

After a few moments, he slid out of her, rolling to the side.  She rolled to look at him, but he had left the bed, putting on a pair of jeans.  He refused to look at her.

 

“Yashiro… what’s wrong?” she asked him, confused as to why he would have left the bed so suddenly.

 

He put a shirt on and walked out of the room.  A moment later she heard him rummaging around the foyer, then the front door slamming.

 

She thought back to what had happened a few moments earlier.  She had said a name…

 

Her heart sank.  Guilt washed over her as she realized that she spoke the name of the man she loved.

 

She had said Inuyasha’s name.

 

She choked back a sob as she buried her face in the pillows.  “What have I done?”


	14. Moth to the Flame

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sachiko talked to Yashiro, causing him to give Kagome an ultimatum.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a difficult chapter to write, mostly because I"m not good at expressing feelings. I must say though, the last chapter, I got SO MANY COMMENTS! You guys are great! It really pushes me to continue to write this.
> 
> If you're interested, my story Demonology is coming towards the end, and that story is 4 years in the making and I think is a way better story than this, but very little smut :/ 
> 
> I'm so glad this story is getting so popular, you guys are great <3

_Smack!  Smack!  Smack!_

At a gym in the student district of Tokyo, the only thing that could be heard so late at night was a man hitting a punching bag.

 

_Smack!  Smack! Smack!_

With each punch, the sound got louder, the time between the hits was getting shorter, and ragged breathing could be heard.

 

_Smack!  Smack!_

The man had a high pony tail to hold his waist-length black hair, with wisps of hair on either side of his face that refused to be held in the binder.  He wore a red t-shirt and grey sweats, with a determined look on his face.  His eyes were sapphire pools, but this particular night, they were icy cold for a single reason. 

 

_Smack!  Smack!  Smack!_

He was burning off his frustration, punching the bag with all of his strength, knocking it back several inches.  His hands were bare, his knuckles turning red from the beating they were incurring on the inanimate object.  His mouth was set in grim determination, his footwork was flawless as he worked his way around the bag, hitting it faster with each passing step.

 

_Smack!  Smack!  Smack!_

It was late at night, but Yashiro was unsure of how late it was.  He just knew that he couldn’t go back to his apartment, not tonight.  _She_ might be there.  He continued to hit the punching bag, beads of sweat dripping down his brow.  His arms were beginning to hurt from how hard he was punching the bag.  But the pain in his arms was nothing compared to the betrayal he had felt earlier that evening.

 

 _Who the fuck was this Inuyasha guy anyway?_ Yashiro thought to himself, punching the bag.  Cross, cross, jab, jab. _Wh_ y _is he so fucking special?_

The impact of his fists on the bag was getting stronger, despite his fatigue.  He continued to punch the bag, fighting back his tears.  He wanted to be with Kagome, but he realized that he wasn’t going to try to compete with a guy who wasn’t even in the picture anymore.  He refused to be second to someone who abandoned her.  He had purposely looked for a legend regarding an Inuyasha, the fact that he found one was astonishing.  The inau was supposed to hold powers to transport someone to Inuyasha, and he wondered if her story about the feudal age was actually true.

 

He shook his head, his hands on either side of his head, pulling at his hair.  He began to pace back and forth before turning and kicking the punching bag with all of his might.  He wasn’t an idiot, time travel doesn’t exist, there’s no way that Kagome magically transported to the feudal age to fight demons for the Shikon Jewel…

 

But he had done research, and he had found records of a priestess shattering the jewel.  It was an old legend, it didn’t have names, but it spoke of a demon slayer, a monk, a demon, a priestess, and a fox demon traveling together to gather the pieces.  It resonated with everything Kagome had said.  He wanted to believe her, but there was no way he could. 

 

“Yashiro?” he heard a familiar voice say.  He looked up and saw Sachiko wearing daisy dukes and a cropped tank top.  She walked over to him, concern etched on her face.  “What are you doing here?  I thought you were with Kagome?”

 

He looked down at his hands, avoiding her gaze.  His knuckles were raw and bleeding from punching the bag so long.  “It’s a long story,” he told her.

 

She saw the hurt on his face, feeling her breath catch in her throat.  “Did you guys break up?”

 

Yashiro looked up, surprised.  “Oh no, nothing like that… I don’t think…”

 

“Yashiro, come on.  Let’s get out of here.  Tell me all about it,” she said, taking his hands and leading him to the exit. 

 

They ended up at a ramen shop that was open twenty four hours, both of them ordering ramen and tea.  They sat in silence for a few minutes before Yashiro began to talk.

 

“She said another man’s name in bed,” he confessed, taking a sip of his tea.  Sachiko’s eyes went wide. 

 

“I want to say that’s a big deal… but I did that to you several times and it never bothered you,” she replied, drinking her tea as well.  He gave her a dark look.

 

“It’s different, I wasn’t in love with you,” he said darkly, giving her a glare.  She hit his arm lightly. 

 

“You know, you can pretend that you loved me every once in a while,” she snapped, causing them both to laugh.  After they stopped laughing, Sachiko smiled and looked at her tea.  “I can’t imagine how you would feel.  I think we’ve both avoided falling in love for a reason similar to this.  I don’t think she did it on purpose… who was the guy?”

 

“That’s just it… he was her boyfriend when she was fifteen.  They split up and she’s been pining for him ever since.  Five years she’s been wanting the guy, and he just disappeared, so I don’t know why she’s still not over him.  I thought I’d be okay with it, but when she said his name in the middle of us having sex, I was furious.”

 

Sachiko’s features softened as she reached out to squeeze his hand.  “What do you mean by disappear?”

 

He sighed, running his fingers through his hair in frustration.  “That’s just it, the story is so crazy that I don’t think the guy ever actually existed.  She said that she did time travel into the Feudal age of Japan and he was a half demon five hundred years ago.  She said that she shattered the Shikon Jewel and they had to work together to piece it back together, and once the jewel was whole again, she couldn’t travel back in time to him anymore and she hasn’t seen him since.”

 

Sachiko’s eyes went wide.  “She’s got quite the imagination,” she remarked.  The bowls of noodles were placed in front of them.  Yashiro began to slurp his noodles loudly, eating half the bowl in under a minute. 

 

“That’s the thing, I did research and I found a legend that matches her story almost exactly.  And I found a shrine in Northern Japan that mentions the guy by name.  It’s not a common name either---how many people have you met by the name Inuyasha?”

 

“Maybe she’s telling the truth, Yashiro,” Sachiko began to say, but he slammed his fist down.

 

“I highly fucking doubt it.  I think that she’s more researched on legends than I am and is pretending not to be.”

 

“Yashiro… what point would she have to do that?  Your suspicions are getting the best of you.  Besides, I can’t believe that you’re not jumping on this story.  You’re the one that used to go to see seers and fortune tellers to guide your life up until six months ago, right before meeting Kagome in fact.  You used to burn incense to ward off angry spirits and pray every day to your mother, hoping for her guidance.  You stopped that as soon as you met Kagome.  And don’t argue with me, I saw the talismans you used to carry with you,” she challenged.  “You’re one of the most religiously superstitious people I’ve ever met, it’s exhausting.  And somehow, you’ve hidden that side of yourself from Kagome when it’s a big part of who you are.”

 

“What good was it doing?  I had decided to turn over a new leaf, so I’m not hiding anything from her,” he argued, feeling defeated.  He sighed, putting a few bills on the table to cover their food and drinks.  “Let’s go, I don’t want people overhearing my problems.”

 

They stood up and as soon as they walked outside, Sachiko began to speak once more.  “I can’t imagine that you just turned over a new leaf.  Listen, I think you should go back and talk to Kagome.  She’s hoping that this relic you mentioned will transport her to the past, right?  Make an ultimatum.  If the relic doesn’t work, she has to give up on the notion she’ll see him again and if she doesn’t, you two go your separate ways and that’s that.  So when it doesn’t work, she’ll be all yours.”

 

Yashiro thought about it.  “That might work… but you can’t just turn off hope like that…”

 

“But she had never said his name until you mentioned the relic, right?  Maybe it instilled hope in her, so he’s been on her mind.  She hadn’t been acting like this until you mentioned it, right?”

 

Yashiro thought about it.  “No, you’re right.  I mean, she had times where she felt emotional, and I think it was about him, but she never really brought him up or it never came up until I mentioned taking her to the shrine…”

 

They reached his apartment, he saw that the lights in his were off.  He wondered if Kagome was in there.  Sachiko cleared her throat.

 

“Look, if you really love her, you’ll talk to her and work it out.  If you don’t let her go before either of you gets hurt more.  That’s all I’m saying.  If you want, I can go up with you so if she’s there, I can walk her home.”

 

He shook his head.  “You don’t need to be so protective, Sachiko.  I’ll be fine.  I’ll go talk to her if she’s there.  If she’s not, I’ll let her come to me.”

 

Sachiko smiled.  “Of course I need to be protective, you’re like my brother.  Nobody hurts my little brother!  Let her come to you when she’s ready.  Besides, I don’t think you’re quite ready to see her yet…”

 

He chuckled.  He was feeling a lot better after talking to her.  “No, I’m not.  If she’s up there I may leave and stay at a hotel.  I’m hoping she went to her place.”

 

Sachiko’s face faltered a little, showing concern for her friend.  “If you need to talk, just give me a call, alright?”

 

He smiled at her, walking into his building.  When he reached his front door, he didn’t hear anything on the other side.  He unlocked the door and walked in, seeing Kagome laying on the couch sound asleep.  He thought about turning around, but seeing her face softened his heart.  She had tear stains on her face and she was clutching the pillow in a fitful sleep.  He knew she was feeling guilty, just as he was feeling guilty for just storming out.  He sighed, taking off his shoes and jacket.  He walked over to Kagome and brushed her hair out of her face, letting his fingers linger. 

 

He watched as her eyes fluttered open, giving him a peaceful smile as her hand reached up to hold his. 

 

“I’m sorry, did I wake you?” he whispered, squeezing her hand back. 

 

She shook her head.  “No… I was so worried,” she mumbled sleepily.  He was crouched down next to her, gazing at her.  He was realizing just how deeply in love with her he was, he couldn’t even stay mad at her. 

 

“Come on, let’s go to bed,” he said, kissing her forehead.  She smiled, sitting up and slowly standing.  He took her hand and led her to the bedroom.  They laid down on the bed in each other’s arms, steadily falling into a deep slumber together.

 

The next morning, Kagome woke up to Yashiro being gone.  She rolled out of bed, her heart feeling heavy for what had happened the day before.  She found him in the kitchen making coffee.  There was a bakery bag on the counter, she assumed that he went out and got them some rolls for breakfast.  She was finding that he had a penchant for western style breakfasts of sweets, compared to the traditional Japanese breakfast of miso soup. 

 

“Good morning,” Kagome said cheerfully, opening a cabinet to get out a mug for the coffee.  Yashiro turned to look at Kagome, giving her a sad smile.  She didn’t miss the emotions on his face, realizing that they had put off talking about the day before for too long already.  She poured herself a cup of coffee and reached into the bakery bag, pulling out a sticky bun.

 

He poured himself a coffee and followed her to the dining room table, both of them sitting and awkwardly fidgeting with their cups.

 

“Kagome…” Yashiro began, but Kagome cut him off.

 

“I’m sorry Yashiro, it’s not fair to you to be with someone who is in love with someone else,” she began, tears rising to her eyes. 

 

“That’s not what I was going to say,” he began, but she continued to speak.

 

“I do love you, you’re very important to me, and whenever we’re together I feel complete.  I don’t want to be without you, but I feel like I’m being greedy…”

 

“Kagome, I don’t want to break up,” Yashiro finally stated, causing Kagome to look up at him.

 

“You don’t?” she asked innocently, surprise evident in her voice.  “I thought you were going to dump me…”

 

He shook his head.  “No, I wouldn’t dump you for just saying another man’s name… though I will say, it does piss me off.”  She looked up at him with wide eyes, seeing that he was avoiding her gaze.  He began to rub his knuckles, which were scabbed over now.  They were still pretty raw, causing him discomfort.  She looked down at his hands and gasped.

 

“Yashiro, what happened to your hands?!” she exclaimed, getting up to find the first aid kit.  She returned a moment later, opening the box and finding ointment.  She began to put the ointment on his knuckles, soothing his injuries.

 

“I was hitting the bag a little hard last night… Listen, I want to make a deal with you.”  She didn’t look up as she was focused on her task, but she made it clear that she was listening.  He took a deep breath and continued.  “I’m going to insist that we take that trip to see the artifact sooner rather than later.  I wanted to go at the end of April because it was cheaper, but spring break is in two weeks and I think that we should go then.  We’ll enjoy the cherry blossoms while we’re there.”  He could see her body tense up as she worked, still remaining silent.  “But I want this to be the last time you think about Inuyasha.  If you can’t see him again after this, I want you to try to move on and give me a chance.”

 

She stopped entirely.  She looked up at him, her eyes watery as she bit her lip.  “Yashiro…”

 

“I’m not going to keep fighting for your affection for someone who’s been dead for five hundred years.”

 

His words stung her deeply, but she knew he was right.  She wanted to see Inuyasha again, and maybe the legend was nothing more than a legend, but if it didn’t work, she could lay down the notion to rest that she would ever see Inuyasha again. 

 

“That’s fair,” she whispered, refusing to look up at Yashiro.  His shoulders slumped, he felt like an ass.  His hand reached out to squeeze hers.  She looked up to see that his features had softened considerably. 

 

“Kagome… There’s something I want you to see,” he told her.  He got up, leading her to a door in his bedroom.  She had never opened it before, having assumed it was a closet.  When he opened it was a large walk in closet, but instead of clothes being hung up in it, there was a small shrine with a picture of a woman.  There were several religious artifacts surrounding the pictures, including a small statue of a Buddha, on a beautiful silk scarf.  There were candles and incense holders, with a singing bowl in the front and center, in front of the picture.  It was a very well decorated altar, and Kagome was wondering why he was showing her this.

 

“This is an altar to my mother, I told you that she had passed away when I was a child.  It may come as a shock to you, but shortly before we met, I was deeply religious and would see fortune tellers and seers on a regular basis.  I stopped seeing the fortune teller when he told me that someone from my past life would enter my life once more.  I was unsure of what he meant by that, but if you say that I truly look that much like your Inuyasha, than maybe, just maybe, I am his reincarnation.  I fell in love with you the moment I met you, and I knew that while it was wrong of me to chase a student, you drew me to you like a moth to a flame.  I knew that I wanted to spend every day with you, and that I wanted to fight for your affection, no matter what.  I’ve never been the jealous type until I’ve met you, and I’ve never been possessive of anyone until you, and I think it’s because my spirit is clinging to yours.  I may be wrong, but perhaps, in a past life, we were lovers.”

 

She was touched by his speech.  She could tell that he had been rehearsing it in his mind for some time.  Her eyes began to water as she reached out to squeeze his hand.  Maybe he truly was Inuyasha, as her mother had said, just as her heart suspected. 

 

“I think you really are Inuyasha’s reincarnation… it’s so hard for me to separate the two of you sometimes… You’re so much alike in so many ways…”  She felt tears fall down her cheeks as she squeezed his hand harder.  “I fell in love with you so fast and I couldn’t understand why.  I still miss him, and I think I always will… but you drive away the loneliness that I have been feeling for the years he’s been gone… and I never thought that I would ever see that chill go away.”

 

She bowed low to the picture of his mother.  He bowed as well, clapping their hands before leaving the shrine in his closet. 

 

“I think that I’ll take you up on your deal,” Kagome told him, squeezing his hand.  “I promise, if I can’t see him again… I’ll try to forget about him…”

 

He squeezed her hands back.  “I’m not asking you to forget about him… I just want you to give us a chance… without comparing me to him.  Even if I am his reincarnation… I’m not him.  I never will be.  Please understand that.”

 

Kagome remembered when she said that exact same thing to Inuyasha all those years ago comparing her and Kikyo.  But the only thing she and Kikyo had in common was their love for Inuyasha.  Now she was having to choose between Inuyasha and Yashiro, and while her heart still longed for the dog-eared hanyou, the man in front of her was so openly offering her heart, just as she had offered it to Inuyasha so long ago.  More tears fell down her cheeks as she gave him a weak smile. 

 

History truly does repeat itself. 

 

“Kagome… there’s one other thing…” he began to say, but she put her fingers to his lips. 

 

“You don’t need to say anything else,” she told him, wrapping her arms around his waist.  She buried her face in his chest, inhaling his scent.  The smell of pine and musk filled her lungs, giving her comfort as if she were a small child.  He wrapped his arms around her as well.

 

“No, Kagome… I think that after the trip… you should move in with me.  You’re always here anyway, you’re wasting your money paying for your apartment.  Just live with me… please?”

 

She let out a small laugh.  “If I can’t see him again… yes, I will…”

 

He kissed her hair, squeezing her to him tighter.  He loved the feel of her in his arms, it felt so natural.  He wanted to be with her for the rest of his life, if he could.  She pulled back to gaze into his eyes, standing on her toes to kiss him.  He kissed her back, letting his body make the moves while his mind shut down.  Her lips were soft and warm, filling his chest with a warmth that he always yearned for when she wasn’t near.  It was a warmth that he craved ever since his mother passed, and only found with Kagome in his arms.

 

He didn’t know if he would be able to keep his own ultimatum.  He feared that he would always be fighting for her affection, no matter what.  He was also more afraid that she would find Inuyasha, and he would never be able to call her his ever again.

 

Time would tell.


	15. Chanting Sutras

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kagome and Yashiro find the robe of the fire rat.

Kagome and Yashiro watched the countryside pass them by as they headed north.  Kagome was able to take the week off from work, and all of her midterms came back with perfect A’s.  She had been working extra hard the last two weeks to make up with Yashiro, and while they were pretty much back to normal, until this trip to the shrine was over, they would never return to the way they were.

 

For starters, he hadn’t touched her since the incident.  She had tried to initiate, but he had told her that until the business at the shrine was done, he thought it would be best if they weren’t intimate.  While they did occasionally kiss, whenever it became heated, he would distance himself, making her want him all the more.  Her body craved his touch, and from what she could tell, he craved her too.  He was taking more cold showers than he ever took before, and there were times where when he thought she was asleep, she could hear him moaning softly in the other room.  It made her heart sink, but she was trying to respect his wishes.

 

But damn it, it was hard.  She had never wanted to pounce on him like she had recently.  She had been tempted to walk around his apartment wearing nothing but red lace, but she knew that he would be upset with her.    
  
She packed all of her lingerie for the shrine, so if she wasn’t able to see Inuyasha, she was going to make sure Yashiro knew that she was his.  There was a part of her hoping that the she wouldn’t see Inuyasha.  How would she explain to Inuyasha that she had been with another man?  She knew that he would be jealous and hurt, likely feeling betrayed.  But it had been five years since she had seen him, she couldn’t expect him to understand…

 

No matter which way she went, she felt trapped.  She loved two men, was pining for two men, and she wanted everyone to be happy.  She looked over at Yashiro, smiling to herself.  He was wearing a red sweater and dark jeans.  His hair was pulled back into a pony tail on top of his head, the wisps of hair around his face.  He wore his clunky glasses as he was heavily involved in reading literature about the shrine.  She watched him out of the corner of her eye as she read some shojo, enjoying the comfortable silence.

 

They arrived at the inn around sunset.  They were both stiff from the ride, and when they reached the inn, Kagome had realized that he went all out for their little getaway.  They had one of the largest rooms in the inn with a private hot spring right off their room.  She didn’t need a bathing suit unless she really wanted one, and she wondered if he did that on purpose. 

 

As he began to unpack his clothes, she took her yukata into the bathroom and changed, emerging a few minutes later wearing nothing but the white yukata.  He looked up at her and smiled, she could see a glint of mischief in his eyes.

 

“You know… you look pretty good in that yukata…” he told her, a husky edge to his voice.  For a man who was avoiding intimacy, she was beginning to think that his head was in the gutter more and more each day.  Whenever he had talked to her, he has a huskiness to his voice and she wondered if it was intentional.

 

“I’m sure you’d look good in one too,” she replied, letting it slide open a little at the seam, exposing her creamy thigh.  He bit his lip.

 

“Remember… not till after this is over,” he told her, reminding himself more than telling her.  He saw the disappointment on her face as she walked past him to head towards the hot spring.  When she reached the edge of the spring, she dipped her toes to feel the warm water.  She looked back and saw that he was watching her. 

 

She decided to tease him a little, untying her yukata and letting it slowly fall down her body, dropping around her feet.  She smiled bashfully at him as she stepped in the hot spring, enjoying the warmth of the water.  The sun had set, but the sky was still a brilliant orange as the sun gave way to darkness.  She swam over to the edge of the small pool, crouching down so the water was at her shoulders. 

 

“Are you going to join me?  The water feels great!” she yelled to him.  She saw him fight an internal battle for self-control.  She giggled a little to herself as she saw the array of emotions run across his face.  She knew why he was withholding intimacy, and while she couldn’t blame him, she craved him.  Her body ached for his touch once more.  She wanted to show him that she cared for him…

 

Yet the image of Inuyasha continually haunted her mind.  She had a sinking feeling that she wouldn’t be able to see him again, and she was preparing herself for the inevitability that she wouldn’t see Inuyasha again, but she was certain Yashiro was, in some way, her hanyou. 

 

Yashiro closed the shoji screens, leaving Kagome to enjoy the pool in silence, gazing up at the stars.  There was very little light pollution in this part of Japan, so she was able to enjoy the skies just as she had when she was in Feudal Japan.  The air was perfumed with the blooming cherry blossoms and she saw the petals drift through the chilly breeze.

 

She felt herself relax more, submerging her head in the water.  She let the warmth completely engulf her, letting the guilt wash away.  She knew that seeing Inuyasha was pretty slim, and she knew that if she were willing to let him go, she could have a future with Yashiro.  Her heart was so torn, she loved both men equally, but Inuyasha continued to haunt her dreams and her heart.

 

She came up to the surface of the water, feeling the chill of the air.  She looked towards the shoji screens and saw Yashiro wearing a white yukata, walking towards her to get into the pool.  His hair was down and his glasses were gone, and all Kagome could see was Inuyasha on the night of the new moon.  She realized, upon looking in the sky, that this was the night of the new moon.  There were so many stars in the sky, and the night got continually darker.  The only light that they could see came from a single gas lantern near the edge of the pool, giving them a dim light that reflected off the water. 

 

Yashiro let his yukata drop as he carefully stepped into the pool.  He was naked, just as she was, and she wondered what he was up to.  He came up to her, sitting beside her, sighing in relief of the warmth of the water.

 

“You know, for someone who’s avoiding being intimate, you’re being pretty ballsy,” she remarked, causing a smile to touch his lips.

 

“Oh, I rubbed one out before coming in here.  Seduce me all you want, it won’t work.”

 

Her face turned bright red, “Why would you say that?!”

 

He grinned.  “So you don’t get any wild ideas.”

 

He gave her a sideways glance, enjoying her embarrassment, seeing if she was going to take his challenge.  She moved closer to him so her face was only an inch from his.  “Maybe I’m tired of waiting,” she whispered.  Her hand moved up to move his hair out of his face, but he continued to watch her and smile.

 

“Are you saying you’re giving up on the entire reason we came here this week?” he whispered, his hand moving to cup her face.  She leaned into his hand, sighing.

 

“I’m saying it’s probably unlikely I’ll ever be able to see him again.  Probably a million to one.”

 

His face faltered, letting his hand fall.  “But you’re still hanging onto that one in a million chance.”

 

She looked up at him solemnly, her eyes sad.  “Yashiro…”

 

He tried to give her a smile, but it wasn’t quite convincing.  “It’s okay… just promise you’ll move on if it doesn’t work,” he told her, practically begging.  She moved her hands to cup his face.

 

“You’re too good for me, you know that?” she said, leaning in to kiss him softly.  He let her kiss him, but he didn’t kiss back. 

 

“Yeah,” he whispered. 

 

“Yashiro, what’s wrong?” Kagome asked him.  He looked at her with wide eyes, emotions that she had never seen on his face before.

 

“Kagome, I can’t tell you how afraid I am of losing you,” he whispered, moving his hand to move the hair out of her face.  He let his fingers run through her wet strands, memorizing every feature on her face as he gazed at her.  “I’m so afraid that tomorrow, when we see the relic… I’ll lose you.  I’ve been looking for you for my entire life, and I don’t want you taken away from me.”

 

Her features softened, leaning in to kiss him again, this time, he kissed her back. 

 

“I promise you’ll never lose me,” she whispered.  She wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing herself against him, capturing his lips with her own.  His arms moved around her waist, pulling her flush against him, enjoying the warmth of the water while holding her soft flesh.  He wanted to believe her, and while he knew she was trying to comfort him, he was always going to have to fight for her over this Inuyasha…

 

When the kiss broke, he pulled away, getting out of the pool and putting his yukata back on.  She watched him leave, feeling loneliness seep back into her heart.  He was closing himself off from her for fear of being hurt.

 

She caused this, and she needed to fix it.  Tomorrow, if she couldn’t be with Inuyasha again, she was going to show Yashiro all the love that he craved and more.  She was going to make sure that he was the man that she thought about night and day, and she was determined to be the woman that he deserved. 

 

Later that night, she lay awake on the futon.  Yashiro had his back to her, lightly snoring, lulling her into a comfort she had never known before.  She wanted to reach over to him and take advantage of him, her hormones were getting the best of her.  She looked over at him and saw that he was in a deep sleep, making her wonder if he would wake up if she played with herself…

 

She decided to risk it, thinking that he would probably sleep through anything at this point.  She knew he hadn’t been sleeping well, but tonight he seemed to be having an unusually peaceful sleep.  She untied her yukata to let it fall open as she lay on her back, letting the cool night air touch her heated skin.  She moved her hands over her breasts, lightly tugging on her nipples, biting back a soft moan.  It felt good, but not as good as when Yashiro did it.  She shook her head, she can do this just as well as him.  She continued to play with her left breast as her right hand moved down her stomach until it reached her folds.  Her fingers reached her folds, lightly putting pressure on her clit.  She moved her fingers in circles around her clit, feeling her body react.  Her breathing got ragged as she continued to moved her fingers, imagining Yashiro were touching her instead of her.  She slipped a finger inside of herself, letting out a soft sigh as she began to pump her fingers inside herself.  It felt so good, feeling her walls tighten around her fingers.  She began to play with her breast more aggressively, tugging at the nipple harder and pumping her fingers faster, her thumb resting on her clit, trying to play with her clit as she thrust her fingers. 

 

She didn’t notice that the snoring had stopped, she was so engrossed in her task.  She let out another soft moan as she felt the familiar build up.  It wasn’t nearly as intense as usual, but she figured, it would do the trick in a pinch.  She inserted another finger, feeling how tight she was.  Her hand moved to her other breast, teasing the nipple there, encouraging her body to give her the release she had so desired.  She continued to pump her fingers, noticing how wet she was. 

 

She felt hands grab her wrists, forcing her fingers out of her, pinning her wrists beside her head.  Yashiro was over her a moment later, his mouth crashing down on hers.  He settled himself between her legs, his hardened cock teasing her entrance.  His yukata was open too, their bodies flush against each other.  He began to lazily grind against her, his cock teasing her entrance even more, causing her to moan.

 

“Yashiro…” she softly begged, kissing him hungrily.  She tried to move her wrists, but he put more weight down on them, pining her in place. 

 

“You have to be quiet,” he whispered against her lips, kissing down the side of her face, lightly nipping at her neck.  He wanted to hear her stifled moans, hearing her try her hardest not to moan out.  He wanted to see her bit her lip and blush, holding back the screams he was about to make escape her throat.  He quickly rolled to his back, taking her with him so that she was on top of him.  He released her wrists to let his hands explore her body.  She sat up, grinding her hips against his, teasing his cock back.  The room was incredibly dark, only the faintest light could be made out through the shoji screens.

 

His hands moved up her flat stomach to massage her breasts, teasing the nipples that hardened at his touch.  He saw her bite her lip to stifle the moan that rose to her mouth.  She moved her hands down to his cock, guiding him slowly inside her.  She was so tight and so wet, he bit back a moan himself.  He had missed her these past two weeks.  She was a forbidden fruit that he had been dying to take a bite out of, and tonight his resolve had been destroyed when he heard her moaning and pleasuring herself. 

 

She rode him slowly, enjoying the feeling of him so deep inside her.  His hands moved to guide her hips, pushing her to go on him harder.  He saw her biting her lip, stifling the moans, making him that much harder.  He began to buck his hips against her, quickening the pace of her riding him, causing her to softly moan.    
  
“Yashiro!” she gasped, her hands digging into his abs to keep her balance.  She stopped riding him as he held her hips and began to pound into her from underneath her.  She was bouncing on his cock, getting deeper with each thrust.  He quickly sat up, his arms wrapping around her waist, holding her in place as he bucked his hips into hers.  She buried her face into his neck, moaning loudly into it.  Her arms moved around his neck, her nails digging into his shoulders, her body clenching around him tightly.  She was on the brink, her body so close to the sweet release she desired. 

 

“Say my name,” she heard him moan, thrusting harder.  “I want to hear you say my name.”

 

“Yashiro…” she moaned, trying to stay quiet.  He threw her off of him so she was on her stomach.  She was about to complain but he was quickly behind her, lifting her hips to his.  She was on her hands and knees as he entered inside of her from behind, pounding into her forcefully.  She buried her face into the pillow in front of her, screaming into the pillow.  He was so deep inside of her that it actually hurt.  However, the pain felt so incredibly good.  She felt like he was pushing deeper inside of her than he ever had before.  Her body clenched, milking his cock as she screamed out his name into the pillow, her body shuddering from the sudden convulsions he created. 

 

“Oh Kagome…” he moaned, his hands tightly gripping her hips, forcing them back onto his cock.  He continued to thrust as he felt her body go limp from riding out her orgasm, feeling himself come to the brink.  “You’re mine,” he moaned, thrusting harder.  “Tell me you’re mine,” he demanded, thrusting harder.

 

“I’m yours,” she moaned, her body building up once more.  “Yashiro I’m yours!” she half screamed, her body bursting into tremors once more as he cried out, releasing his seed inside of her. 

 

He was out of breath and a little light headed.  He stayed still for a moment, catching his breath and letting his heartrate slow.  He slowly pulled out of her, hearing her moan as he pulled out.

 

He collapsed next to her as she rolled into his chest.  He kissed her hair as he wrapped his arms around her, both of them falling into a deep sleep. 

 

 

The next day at the shrine, Yashiro and Kagome were part of a group doing a tour of the shrine.  The guide was a woman dressed as a traditional miko, wearing the white robes with red hakamas, her hair tied back with ribbons.  She was explaining the history of the shrine, explaining the importance of this particular shrine to the Shinto religion. 

 

Yashiro was taking notes for his paper, but he had a smug grin on his face the entire time.  Kagome hadn’t really noticed his smugness, for her nerves were on edge from being so close to finding Inuyasha again.  They reached one of the main buildings of the shrine.  It was an older building, easily five hundred years old, and the miko began to speak.

 

“This is the house that holds our sacred relic: the mythical inau.  While inau’s are typically destroyed after use, this one was considered to be incredibly powerful, hence why it’s still in existence.  They say that a dog forest spirit had a human lover, and that he sealed his spirit to the inau to be found by a woman five hundred years later.  Well, we’re at the five hundred year mark, and to date nothing has awakened the spirit.  They say that once the woman touches the inau, the spirit will release itself.  But to touch the relic, you would have to touch the box that stores the relic, which has an ancient seal on it.”

 

The group surrounded the wooden box, it was a large wooden box that had been become beautiful with age.  The wood had a dark lacquer that had softened in its hue, with dark writing on it.  Kagome could see that the writing of the box said, “To the woman who loved Inuyasha.”

 

“As you can see, the box says, to the woman who loved the dog forest spirit---,” the miko said, but Kagome cut her off.

 

“It actually says, to the woman who loved Inuyasha.  Inuyasha can be translated to say dog forest spirit,” Kagome argued, knowing that she had found something left behind by Inuyasha.  Yashiro watched Kagome closely, unsure of what to do.  The miko gave her a dirty look.

 

“Anyway, legend has it that the woman who is supposed to release the spell would be in our time, and would break the spell by just touching it.  If you would all follow me, we’ll continue the tour to go on about the god’s houses on the grounds and how the gods are believed to congregate here every year…”

 

Kagome let the group move ahead, Yashiro refusing to leave her side.  When it was just the two of them, Kagome looked around to make sure they were alone. 

 

“Kagome, you can’t seriously be thinking about taking the box,” Yashiro told her.

 

“No, but I am going to break the seal, look, it has my name on it.”  Kagome pointed to the corner of the box and sure enough, Kagome’s name was written in fine print on the corner.  Yashiro’s eyes went wide with surprise.  Perhaps she had been telling the truth after all.

 

Kagome put her hands on the box, and the box glowed brightly.  A moment later, the sutra that had been sealing the box burned away, leaving nothing but the box before them.  Kagome looked around to make sure no one saw, and opened the box. 

 

She felt a sob catch in her throat as she saw the robe of the fire rat folded neatly in the box with the inau.  Kagome saw the inau was badly damaged and worn with time, but the robe looked brand new.  Yashiro’s eyes were wide with horror, afraid that someone would see what Kagome had done.  She delicately placed the inau next to the box and pulled out the robe, her attention completely distracted.  The smell of Inuyasha washed over her, the perfume clinging to the robe over the last five hundred years.  She held the robe close to her chest, tears streaming down her face.

 

Yashiro saw a yellowed piece of paper fall from the robes, but Kagome had not noticed.  He picked it up, and was about to bring it to Kagome’s attention, but she was so involved with the robe, crying.  He put it in his pocket discretely, watching Kagome bury her face in the robes, loud sobs escaping her throat. 

 

Yashiro went over and wrapped his arms around her shoulders.  “Kagome come on, they’re going to miss us.”  He closed the box, putting the inau in his messenger bag.  He took out a sutra and placed it over the spot that the original sutra had been, hoping that nobody witnessed them tampering with an ancient relic.  Kagome folded up the robe and put it in her bag, and they walked out to quickly catch up with the group.  The miko gave them a questioning look, but continued the tour.

 

When they returned to the inn in the late afternoon, Kagome stared at the robe, wondering what she was supposed to do.  Yashiro pulled out the inau and together they stared hard at the objects.

 

“This was the robe that Inuyasha always wore.  The robe of the firerat.  You probably know of it from the legend of Kaguya-Hime.  It’s stronger than any armor, and it’s saved his life countless times.  It was the only gift he had left from his mother.”

 

Yashiro reached out and squeezed her hand, keeping the piece of paper in his pocket a secret.  Kagome put the robe on and waived the inau over her head, but nothing happened. 

 

“I wish to return to Inuyasha,” she whispered, wishing with her entire heart.  She waived the inau over her head again, but nothing happened.

 

She kept waiving the inau over her head as more tears streamed down her face. 

 

“I WISH TO SEE INUYASHA AGAIN!” she screamed, sobbing, waiving the inau over her head once more.

 

Nothing happened.

 

“Kagome!” Yashiro said, taking the inau away.  “It’s useless, it’s not going to happen.”

 

She began to wail, inhuman sounds escaping her lips as she collapsed on the floor, wrapping Inuyasha’s robe tightly around her. 

 

He felt his heart break all the more.  He saw how raw her love for him was, ripping his heart to pieces.  He wanted to burn the piece of paper in his pocket, knowing that it was likely written in Inuyasha’s own hand.  He had read it when he was alone that day, seeing the instructions of how to bring Kagome back.  She needed to be by the well with a holy man performing a ceremony with the inau in order for it to work.  He knew of a holy man who could likely do it, but he thought to himself, did he really want to risk losing Kagome?

 

The answer was simple: he wasn’t letting anyone have Kagome. Kagome was his and his alone.

 

But he couldn’t bring himself to destroy the paper in his pocket.  He would destroy it when he returned to Tokyo, ensuring that Kagome would never see Inuyasha again.


	16. Forever

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yashiro goes to a fortune teller to discuss the inau's powers... and later asks Kagome a very serious question.

Yashiro was standing outside the fortune teller’s shop holding the inau and the robe of the fire rat.  He was careful to make sure he didn’t draw attention, being overly cautious as he stepped inside the shop.  The shop was in the “Little Edo” part of Tokyo, far away from the university.  It was easily a thirty minute train ride to get there.  While he used to frequent the area often, it had been months since he had seen the old facades of the traditional buildings and market. 

 

He looked around and saw the traditional ink paintings and talismans hanging from the ceiling in the shop.  The man sitting at the table at the other end of the shop was extremely young to be a fortune teller, with a gold hoop earring in each ear with a low, short pony tail.  He had thin bangs adorning his forehead and deep set blue eyes, much like Yashiro’s. 

 

“Roku, it’s been a long time,” Yashiro stated, sitting before the fortune teller.  Roku was wearing white robes with navy blue hakamas.  He wore lapis prayer beads around his neck, with gold coins and red thread hanging from them.  He sat across from Yashiro, a stern look on his face.

 

“So, did you meet the woman from your past life?” Roku asked, not one to exchange pleasantries.  Yashiro placed the inau and the robe of the fire rat on the table.

 

“I think so, but I have questions about these items.  My girlfriend, Kagome, states that she was once able to travel to the past and she was able to open an ancient seal containing these items.  What can you tell me about them?”

 

Roku delicately picked up the inau, which was frayed in the middle.  The wood was delicate and dried out, but it still worked as the baton for ceremonies.  He moved it around in his hands, testing the weight and feeling its power.  He set it down gently, moving to the robe of the fire rat.  The fabric was coarse, similar to wool.  However, it was light as a feather, far lighter than any wool would be.  He lifted it up to the light and saw that no light could be seen through the fabric.

 

“Well, this robe is spectacular.  What is it made of?  It’s feather light and extremely durable,” Roku commented, admiring the robe.  “It’s made of fine stuff, but I can’t figure out what.”

 

“Kagome said that it’s from the legend of Kaguya-Hime---the robe of the fire rat.  Supposed to be better than any armor.”

 

Roku nodded, putting the robe down and neatly folding it.  He turned his attention back to the inau.  “This inau is special too.  I can feel an immense amount of energy in it.  It was said to be able to transport someone back in time?”

 

Yashiro nodded, keeping his gaze serious.  “She wishes to go back to her lover in the Sengoku Jidai.  However, the note that was with the robe states there’s only enough power to transport her for possibly three days, if that.”  Yashiro pulled out the folded paper and handed it to Roku.

 

Roku opened the yellowed paper and scanned the text.  “A powerful priest wrote this, I’m sure I could easily conduct the ceremony to send her back.  When do you want to do it?”

 

“You misunderstand, I don’t want her to go back.  At least, I don’t want her to go back alone.  I want to see what’s so special about this past lover of hers.”

 

Roku’s eyes widened.  “It’s not wise to meet your past life.  I can lead you through meditation to remember your memories from your past life, if you wish.  But actually meeting yourself could be dire.”

 

“What’s the worst that could happen?” Yashiro asked, giving Roku a stern look.  Roku refused to answer, glaring back at him.  “Listen, I don’t want her waiting for him like a lost puppy anymore.  I want her to focus on her future, and going to the past to have her heart broken all over again is not the way.  She thinks that the ceremony didn’t work, so she’s trying to forget about him, I don’t even think she should go back at all.”

 

“And what would you accomplish going back and meeting this past version of yourself?” Roku asked.  He turned around to take a kettle off the stove and poured a cup of tea for Yashiro and himself.   “To be jealous of what kind of man you were?  To hate a man who actually is you for loving the woman you love now?  There’s nothing good that can come from meeting him.”

 

“I want him to know that Kagome found him in his next life, so he should let her go and be happy with what she’s found,” he said, taking a sip of his tea.  “Maybe also punch him in the face for letting her go.”

 

Roku sighed, taking a sip of his tea.   “I will not help you go back in time unless you are going with her.  Even that, I think is a bad idea.  He obviously knows that they won’t live out their lives together, that’s apparent in the note.  He wants to see her one last time for closure.  He wants to tell her his feelings, maybe kiss her one last time, maybe more, and tell her it’s okay to move on so she’s not waiting anymore.  If their last meeting had been for closure, she would probably be in better shape than she is in now, wouldn’t she?”

 

Yashiro glared at the man before him.  He put the empty cup down, motioning for Roku to pour him another cup.  “I don’t know what kind of shape she would be in.  We found these objects two weeks ago and if we’re not together she’s crying nonstop.  Even when we’re together and she sees me with my hair down she cries.  It’s tearing me apart and I want to hurt the man who hurt her so much…”

 

“Yashiro, sometimes the universe works in mysterious ways.  You’ve always been a loner, we’ve known each other since our first foster home together.  You were a loner then, you’re a loner now.  The fact that you have a steady girlfriend astounds me, considering your past. You had a habit of finding comfort for a night and being content with that.  Did that lifestyle no longer suit you?”

 

Yashiro gave him a dark look.  “I’m sorry that I enjoyed a woman’s company.  You’re one to talk, I’d like to add.  How many women did you ask to impregnate?”

 

Roku waved his hands in defeat.  “It’s true, I did have my mind set on seducing women, but I never did it for money.”

 

“I was desperate, you know that,” Yashiro snapped.  Roku began to laugh.

 

“You weren’t that desperate.  I think you were lonely and trying to fill a void.  Tell me, did you fill the void?”

 

Yashiro looked at his hands in his lap, wanting to punch Roku.  “I have now, but it took a long time.”

 

“Do you love this woman?” Roku asked, knowing the answer.

 

“Yes.  I want to marry her eventually.  I’ve convinced her to move in with me, so next month when her lease is up she’s going to be living with me.  I’ve never been with a woman that I never got tired of, she’s amazing in so many ways…”

 

Roku smiled.  “I can see why you want to keep her to yourself.  Listen, when you’re ready for her to face her past, I’ll help you, but I won’t send you back without her, do you understand?”

 

Yashiro gave him a dark look, finishing his tea and standing.  He picked up the items and bowed low to the fortune teller.  He reached into his pocket and put a few bills in the donation box, leaving to go back home with the items.  He knew Roku wouldn’t help him, but he thought about who else could help him, and if it was worth it…

 

-*-*-

 

Kagome stood outside Yashiro’s door, her heart heavy.  She had promised Yashiro that she would try to move on if the relic didn’t work, but she was finding it difficult.  The rest of their trip to the shrine consisted of her sitting in the hot spring crying by herself.  At night she would give herself to him, but her heart wasn’t in it.  She knew he could tell, but she knew that he was holding hope that she would eventually give herself to him, heart and soul.

 

She had been working herself harder than ever before, putting more time into her studies and into her work hoping to tire herself out so much that she wouldn’t think of Inuyasha, but every time Yashiro had his hair down, Inuyasha was all she could think about.  She made sure that Inuyasha’s name never came up when she was being intimate with Yashiro, but it had been proving difficult at times.  She noticed that when they were taking it slowly and he was being tender, she had a harder time holding back Inuyasha’s name, so she would insist on them having… crazier sex.  She blushed at the thought, remembering the last time they had been intimate.  She had begged him to get rough, and while he was hesitant, he had agreed.  It was phenomenal to be sure, she had trouble walking the next day and had a goofy grin on her face the entire day, but that was the only way she could differentiate the two.  In her mind, she had always imagined Inuyasha being a gentle lover, and Yashiro was well experienced and knew what he was doing.  When Yashiro went slow… he was almost like a god.  She wondered if that was because of his past experience.  She had always imagined that Inuyasha would be infinitely gentle, being clumsy in his love making, putting her needs before his own.  While Yashiro always put her needs before his, he never came off as clumsy. He was articulate in everything that he did, bringing her pleasure with ease, knowing her body better than she knew it herself.  She blushed at the thought, knowing that his knowledge wasn’t quite self-taught, given his experience.  However, she knew that he only had eyes for her now, and while she would still grow jealous when his past was brought up, he made it clear that he was with her for the long haul.

 

She finally went into his apartment and saw that it was empty.  Usually he was home by now, but she figured he may have had to stay late for grading or doing make up tests with students.  She sighed, dropping her bag off at the door and taking her shoes off.  She had agreed to move in with him, and while she had another month left of her lease, she had pretty much completely moved into his apartment.  She brought her bed back to her mother’s and everything else was kind of scattered in his apartment.  He cleaned out his closet for her to use, moving the shrine of his mother to a corner in the living room.  She had put up some of her own art in the apartment, cluttering the walls, and on the fridge, there was a filmstrip of pictures of the two of them together when they did karaoke. 

 

The apartment was beginning to look like a couple lived in it.  He had recently bought her flowers, leaving them on the table in a crystal vase for her.  The flowers smelled sweet, adding a perfume to the air in the apartment.  She always felt relaxed in his apartment, smelling Inuyasha wherever she went.  She went into the bedroom and undressed, wanting a bath. 

 

_I really should cook dinner,_ she thought to herself.  She looked towards the kitchen, shrugging.  _He can make us ramen, it’s been a while since we’ve had ramen._   She put a bathrobe on and went to the bathroom, drawing a bath for herself. 

 

Later as she sat in the tub, she began to think.  She was missing Inuyasha, but he left his robe for her.  She wondered if that was his way of telling her to find him in the next life.  He didn’t leave a note, and the inau was a bust.  She saw that Yashiro had kept it in the cabinet shrine dedicated to his mother.  She noticed that since she had moved in, he had resumed being religious once more, praying to his mother every night.  However, he put her picture away every day and only took it out to pray.  He would light incense every night, giving the room a strong smell.  Not that she minded, the smell of incense reminded her of life at the shrine. 

 

She sunk into the tub, only her nose was above the water, letting the warmth encompass her.  Her heart was aching to see the hanyou one last time, even if just for a moment.  She wanted to tell him that she loved him, and that she would never forget him.  She wanted to hold him and feel his lips against hers one last time. 

 

She thought of Yashiro, feeling the guilt set in once more.  He had been so patient with her, so kind.  She didn’t know if she would ever be able to repay his kindness, and she felt that while she had been giving her body to him, she had been holding her heart at a distance. 

 

She sat up in the tub, wiping the water away from her face.  She felt the tears begin to fall again.  Whenever she was alone now, she cried, and it was becoming exhausting.  Yashiro had made it clear that he was concerned, but she suspected that he was growing tired of her emotional disposition.  She wiped them away, taking a deep breath.  She had to stop crying. 

 

She heard the front door close, realizing that Yashiro was home.  She relaxed in the bath, taking another deep breath.  Knowing Yashiro, he would probably join her.  One thing that she appreciated about him, he was always predictable in the ways that mattered.  He had a very set schedule that very rarely strayed, if she couldn’t find him immediately, she could figure out who he was with.  He had very few friends, and they were pretty honest with her.  Sachiko always seemed to know where he was at.  He would always come home and either order dinner or keep her company while she made dinner, they would eat dinner and do homework, and in the evening he would take her mind off of Inuyasha late into the night.

 

She had to admit, his appetite was insatiable.  She wondered if all men were like that, or if that was unique to him. Maybe he was trying to dispel the loneliness of his life just as she had been doing.  Inuyasha had left a void in her heart that she had been trying to fill, and the only time that she didn’t feel the crippling loneliness was when she was wrapped in Yashiro’s arms.  When they made love, she could feel him open his heart to her, showing her a side of him that she knew he didn’t share easily.  He would whisper sweet nothings in her ear and his touch would be so gentle, memorizing everything about her body.  She leaned back in the tub, letting out a soft moan.  Just thinking about him being intimate with her aroused a fire in her that she couldn’t easily ignore.  He stirred feelings in her that she didn’t know she could ever have, craving his touch at every instant. 

 

She heard the door to the bathroom open and a moment later, Yashiro stepped into the bathroom before her.

 

“Hey,” he said softly, giving her a warm smile.  “Mind if I join you?”

 

_Like clockwork,_ she thought to herself.  “Not at all, but I was nearly done.”

 

He shrugged, taking off his clothing quickly.  He stepped into the tub a moment later, pulling her into an embrace.  She wrapped her arms around him, inhaling deeply.  No matter how much he washed or what he was doing, he always smelled of pine and musk.  His scent gave her a comfort that she had never experienced from anyone else, and she wondered if it was because he smelled so much like Inuyasha.  He kissed her hair, squeezing her to him gently.

 

“I wasn’t expecting you to take a bath this early in the evening,” he commented lightly, idly playing with her hair.  His hands moved over her back, memorizing every inch of her skin, causing shivers to rise up her spine.

 

She shrugged.  “It was a long day and I didn’t feel like cooking.  I just wanted to relax for a while.”

 

He chuckled, lifting her face to his to kiss her gently.  “What a shame, I had plans for us tonight.”

 

Her eyebrows went up in question.  “Oh?”

 

“You see, I stopped at that adult store on the way home…” he began to say, causing her to turn red.

 

“Oh no, what did you buy?”

 

He laughed.  “Nothing too crazy.  There are these things called Pandora pills, they’re supposed to increase pleasure in women, you know, make your orgasms more intense and increase your… appetite,” he said, choosing his words carefully.  She began to chuckle.

 

“Well if you increase my appetite, how will you keep up?”

 

He grinned.  “Oh, I got something similar for me too.  I figured we could try to see how many times you can get off in a night.  See what your lucky number is,” he said, winking.

 

They both laughed, Kagome moving so that her legs were around his waist.  She was sitting on his lap, her hands moving over his shoulders.  “But seriously, what did you have planned tonight?”

 

“Haha, can’t fool you.  There’s a party with my old coworkers, they’d like to meet the girl that I’m so enamored with,” he told her. 

 

“What if I say I’m not interested?” she asked him, wiggling her hips on his lap, feeling his excitement.

 

He groaned.  “I guess I’d have to beg you then.”

 

She leaned down and kissed him lightly.  “I’d like to hear you beg…”  His hands moved to her hips, squeezing the flesh beneath his hands gently.  He liked her softness, how smooth her skin was.  He would never tire of her, feeling like she was a drug that always left him wanting more of her. 

 

“Please go with me tonight,” he whispered against her lips, feeling her tease his cock more.

 

His hands moved up to caress her breasts, the water making them slick to his touch.  He massaged them gently, rolling her nipples between his finger and thumb, lightly tugging at them.  She reached down and placed him at her entrance, slowly sliding down his cock.  She moaned as she took his entire length inside of her, lightly rocking on him in the water.  His hands moved to her hips to guide her, thrusting to match her bouncing hips. 

 

“Yashiro…” she sighed, hanging on to his shoulders to keep her balance as she bounced on his cock, her nails digging into his shoulders.  His mouth moved down her neck, nipping lightly as he kissed his way to her shoulder. 

 

“You’re making it hard to go anywhere,” he whispered, feeling her clench around his cock.  His hand moved to her front, moving down between her legs to tease her clit.  His thumb rubbed around it in circles, lightly placing pressure on it as he fiddled.  She let out a moan, placing a smug grin on his face.  He knew how to play her body, making her squirm and turning any situation around.  “I almost want to keep my first suggestion open…”

 

She felt her body clench, riding him harder to reach the edge.  She was so close, and as his hands moved to tease her, her body released the pressure.  She felt her body milk him, shuddering as a hoarse cry escaped her lips.  She began to slow down her bouncing, Yashiro’s hands moving to fondle her breasts once more.  He rolled her nipples in his fingers, kissing her neck as she clung to him, catching her breath.    She moved to kiss him once more, a hunger in her kiss that he had noticed before.  She only kissed him like this when she was feeling lonely… missing Inuyasha. 

 

The thought of Inuyasha irritated him, but he kept it to himself as he kissed her back, hoping that she would realize that she was with him now.  He knew that he was going to have to continually fight for her affection, and he was going to have to do it in a way that showed her that he was the superior of the two men. 

 

“Come on, let’s go to the bedroom,” he whispered against her lips.  They got out of the tub, Yashiro grabbing a towel and drying her off slowly.  He moved the towel over her skin slowly, leaving a trail of kisses over her body as he memorized her flesh.  She stood perfectly still, enjoying the feel of his hands moving over her body.  Her skin felt like it was on fire, craving his touch more and more.  His face reached the junction between her legs, letting his tongue dart out and taste her nectar, causing her to moan.  He continued to tease her, his hands grasping her hips to keep her still as he moved his tongue around her center.  Her fingers tangled in his hair, pulling the binder out so his hair fell in cascades around his face.  He began to kiss up her flat stomach, his hands moving up over the curve of her hips.  His mouth found one of her nipples, lightly tugging on it with his teeth, sucking gently.  She let out another moan, her back arching into him.  When he reached her face once more, he kissed her hungrily, wanting to take her there on the bathroom floor, but deciding against it.  In one swift move, he picked her up, carrying her to the bedroom, his lips barely parting from hers. 

 

He lay her down gently on the bed, his hand moving to touch her center, gently sliding two fingers inside of her.  She was so wet, causing him to moan out.  She craved him just as much as he craved her. 

 

As he pumped his fingers inside of her, he could feel her body clench once more.  He deepened the kiss, her arms wrapping around his neck, holding him close to her.  As her body reached the edge, she clenched tighter around his fingers, arching her back into him, squeezing her legs tight around his hand.  She let out a moan into his mouth as her body convulsed, releasing the pressure that had been built up.  As her body relaxed, he pulled his fingers out of her and moved his hand to push her hip to the bed.  He maneuvered himself to settle between her legs, his lips never parting hers.  His hands moved up to hold her hands on either side of her head, squeezing gently. 

 

“I love you Kagome,” he whispered against her lips, entering her slowly.  She moved her legs to wrap around his waist, encouraging him to go deeper.  He was giving her his heart, opening himself to her, trying to show her just how much he wanted to be with her.  “I want you to be mine, Kagome…” 

 

His forehead was touching hers, looking into chocolate pools filled with desire for him.  He released her hands to wrap his arms around her, holding her tightly against him.  Her arms moved around his neck, her fingers tangling in his long hair that shrouded them in intimate privacy.  He moved slowly inside of her, savoring each moment with her. 

 

“I want to spend the rest of my life with you,” he whispered to her.  “I want you to be mine… forever” he whispered as he kissed her.  “You’re mine…”

 

“Yashiro…” she whispered, kissing him back.  She moved her hips so that he could have better access, getting deeper inside of her. 

 

“Say you’ll be mine,” he begged her, burying his face in her neck, kissing it.  “Please say you’ll be mine.”

 

She didn’t say anything, just softly moaning.  Soft sighs escaped her lips, her nails digging into his shoulders as she felt the familiar build up appear once more. 

 

“Please, Kagome… say you’ll be mine.”

 

“Yashiro…” she moaned again, feeling her body reach the edge.  He could feel her clench around him, making him feel close to the edge as well. 

 

He stopped thrusting, causing her to try to thrust against him, but he dropped his weight on her, pinning her down. 

 

“Say it… please…” He begged, whispering into her neck, inhaling her scent deeply. 

 

“I love you, Yashiro,” she whispered so softly he barely heard it.  “Please don’t leave me. I can’t lose anyone else… I need you, Yashiro…”

 

He heard her lightly sob as she cried into his neck, squeezing him closer to her.  He squeezed her back, both of them clinging to each other.  He began to thrust inside of her slowly once more, moving his face to look at hers.  He saw her tear stained face as he leaned down to kiss her softly.

 

“Baby, I’m not going anywhere,” he mumbled, feeling her body clench around him once more.  He kissed her deeply as she clenched tightly around him, her body erupting in convulsions around him as he let out a soft moan, ejecting his seed inside of her. 

 

They clung to each other for several minutes, their faces buried in each other’s necks.  She finally moved her legs to release him, letting him slide out of her.  She let out a whimper as he pulled out, but he moved to kiss her once more. 

 

“Marry me, Kagome,” he told her, moving to kiss her forehead.  “Please… Marry me… be mine…”

 

She was shocked at his question, her heart sinking.  “Yashiro…”

 

He kissed her, holding her flush to him.  “Please…”

 

“Yashiro, I can’t… it’s too soon... I have school, so do you… we can’t…”

 

She felt his body slump at her denial, causing her heart to sink.  “We can… you just don’t want to,” he said in defeat.  He kissed her again, loosening his grip on her.  “It’s alright… I get it…”

 

She kept her arms tightly around his neck, kissing him.  “I’m just not ready for that… please understand…”

 

He gave her a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.  “It’s alright, Kagome… I’m always someone who moves fast… I realize that you’re not quite there yet…”

 

She felt her eyes well up with tears once more.  She felt like she was being so unfair to him.  His hand moved up to wipe the tears away.

 

“No more tears… It kills me to see you cry so much.  I promise, I won’t go anywhere.  You have my heart and my soul, Kagome… Forever…”

 

She smiled, letting out a soft laugh, leaning up to kiss him once more. 

 

“Come on… let’s get to that party.  Let’s go have some fun.”  He moved to get off the bed, but she kept her arms around his neck.

 

“Can we just stay like this for a few more minutes?” she asked bashfully, a blush touching her cheeks.  He smiled, kissing her once more.

 

“Of course…” 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhhh! Yashiro moving fast as always... What will happen next?! Stay tuned for more Hidden Secrets!
> 
> And thank you all SO MUCH for the comments and kudos! You're going to make me cry! I've never had a story this popular before <3


	17. Party Secrets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kagome and Yashiro get into a huge fight after Kagome talks to one of Yashiro's coworkers...

Kagome and Yashiro stood in front of a mansion in the suburbs of Tokyo, seeing that there were easily over a hundred people in the house.  Cars were lined up on the street and in the large driveway, with all the lights on and loud music could be heard from inside the house.

 

Kagome was wearing a short black skirt and a black button down shirt, her legs bare and her feet wearing the tall red velvet pumps.  Her hair was styled to have soft waves accenting her face with a touch of pink lip gloss and black eye liner.  Yashiro was wearing a black button down, much like Kagome, with a pair of dark jeans and black loafers.  He had his hair tied in the high pony tail, but he left his glasses at home, with the thick wisps of hair around his face as per usual.  Kagome felt her nerves get the best of her, staring at the house.  This was a party for people who worked in the adult film industry, and since Yashiro worked in the industry for so long, he was an honorary member, or so he explained.  He was always invited to these parties, and the last few he had declined.  Sachiko had made it clear that he should bring Kagome, since most of them heard that the untamable Yashiro Nagasaki had a steady girlfriend he was serious about. 

 

For the most part, most of the actors were curious as to who could tame the womanizer Yashiro, thinking that she was some sort of gold digger or master manipulator. Of course, Yashiro didn’t tell Kagome any of this.  Sachiko wove a story that Kagome was an innocent beauty that has a pure aura to her that entrapped Yashiro, which nobody quite believed.  Kagome’s hand was squeezing Yashiro’s tightly, nervous to enter the house.  What would these people think of her?  She had no idea of knowing.

 

“Come on, I promise they don’t bite… most of the time,” Yashiro corrected himself.  He dragged her in as she was shaking.  When they walked in the house, the first thing Kagome saw was a large, muscular man doing a keg stand and everyone standing around him holding red solo cups yelling ‘CHUG!’

 

She had heard of frat parties like this, but had never actually been to one.  She saw that most of the women were dressed in skimpy outfits and the men were dressed much like Yashiro.  Kagome had been worried that her skirt was too short, but seeing how most of the women were wearing skirts even shorter than hers and wearing extremely low cut shirts, she was now wondering if she was over dressed. 

 

“Yashiro!” Kagome heard a woman yell, running over to them.  She was dressed wearing a short plaid skirt and a button down shirt that was tied under her breasts, completely unbuttoned.  She could see that the girl was wearing a black lace bra and was wearing heavy makeup, her raven hair in pig tails, with fishnet stockings on her legs.  She ran to Yashiro, jumping into his arms, wrapping her legs around his waist and hugging him tightly. 

 

Kagome felt the jealousy well up in her chest as the woman leaned down and tried to kiss the now blushing Yashiro, who quickly turned his head so that she was kissing his cheek, leaving a large lipstick stain. 

 

“Nana… get off of me,” he groaned, his hands going to her waist to put her down.  She looked at him and jutted out her bottom lip, pouting.

 

“Yashi, what’s the matter with you? I haven’t seen you in over a year and that’s how you treat me?” she said, her voice far huskier than it should have been for such a petit woman.

 

“Nana, this is my girlfriend, Kagome,” he said, gesturing to the now suspiciously angry Kagome.  Kagome’s eyes were narrow, trying to size up the girl in front of her.  The girl’s face turned bright red, seeing Kagome’s anger.

 

“Oh honey, I’m so sorry, I didn’t realize he had a girlfriend,” Nana began to say, trying to explain herself.  “I’ve always greeted him like that, for the last ten years or so.  I’m Nana, I used to work a lot with Yashiro.”  She held out her hand to shake Kagome’s.  She reluctantly gave her hand to Nana, shaking it briefly. 

 

“It’s uh… nice to meet you,” Kagome replied, her voice sounding a little dark.  Yashiro’s face stayed bright red, realizing what it probably looked like.

 

“Kagome, Nana and I also knew each other in the foster system, we’ve been friends for years.  She’s kind of like a little sister… that I used to work with…” he tried to explain, but no matter what he said, he realized he was digging himself into a hole. 

 

Sachiko appeared out of nowhere, seeing the bright red lipstick on Yashiro’s face.  “Yashi, why do you have another girls lipstick on you?  That’s pretty inconsiderate considering your girlfriend is here.  Hi Sweetie, it’s been too long,” Sachiko quickly said to Kagome, handing Yashiro a handkerchief to get the lipstick off his face.  He started to scrub at his face, Nana just staring down Kagome.

 

“Nana, did you try to kiss Yashiro?  You know he hates that,” Sachiko said, chewing out Nana. 

 

“I was just so excited to see him.  He never talks to me anymore,” she defended, crossing her arms over her large breasts. 

 

Sachiko was wearing tight jeans and a cropped fishnet top with a black bra underneath, leaving very little to Kagome’s imagination.  She was also wearing knee-high lace up black leather boots with her strawberry blonde hair straightened and styled.  Her eyes had dark liner around them with pink lipgloss, not unlike Kagome’s make up. 

 

“Maybe he doesn’t talk to you anymore because you’re obnoxious,” Sachiko snapped, shoving a drink into Kagome’s hands.  “Drink up sweetie, it’ll lessen your nerves.  You look scared.”

 

Yashiro moved to put a protective arm around Kagome’s waist.  “Don’t worry, I’ve only got eyes for you,” he whispered in Kagome’s ear, causing a shiver to go up her spine.  His warm breath tickled her ear. 

 

“Hey, is that Yashiro Nagasaki?” Kagome heard another female voice pipe up, suddenly causing all eyes to fall on the handsome couple.  The room went silent, staring at Kagome and Yashiro, causing Kagome to blush.

 

“IT’S HIS GIRLFRIEND!  SHE IS REAL!” someone shouted, causing the crowd to surround them.  Kagome felt her nerves rise up, her eyes growing wide with shock, not realizing just how popular Yashiro was.

 

“Yashiro, long time no see,” she heard a man say, slapping him on the back.  “She’s cute, I see why you went for her.”

 

Kagome turned to see the large man who had been doing the keg stand slapping Yashiro’s back.  He nearly knocked Yashiro over, who had been keeping a tight grip on Kagome. 

 

“Wow, she’s super cute, Yashiro!”

 

“I can’t believe you’d date outside the industry,” Kagome heard a girl say.

 

“Why haven’t you been to any parties lately?”

 

“What have you been up to, book worm?”

 

The questions for Yashiro were endless and before too long, Kagome and Yashiro were separated and Kagome was outside the crowd as he was being smothered by the crowd.  Most of the people in the party were surrounding Yashiro, leaving Kagome to fend for herself.  She still had a drink in her hand, so she gulped it down quickly, hoping to calm her nerves.  She walked to a different room in the house, finding a few people chatting and playing pool.  She decided to go to the upstairs of the house and explore, knowing that she didn’t want to distract any of Yashiro’s… friends…

 

Kagome had to gulp down the world “friends” that entered her mind.  These people were so strange, being so open and touchy.  She found a bedroom with a balcony, a single man standing on the balcony.  He wore a blue sports coat with a navy blue button down shirt.  He wore faded jeans and flip flops, a single cup in his hand as he looked out to see the full moon.  Kagome approached him, noticing the small pony tail at the base of his neck and the gold hoop earring in his ears.  He looked so familiar…

 

The man turned to look at her and Kagome almost screamed, he looked just like Miroku!  She wondered if it was his reincarnation as well.

 

“Well well, you must be Kagome,” the man said, giving her a wolfish smile.  Kagome’s eyes went wide.

 

“How do you know my name?” Kagome asked him.  He shrugged.

 

“Yashiro told me your name… but I knew it before he told me.  You see, I was able to remember my memories from a past life… and I remember you wearing a green school uniform and being a strong marksman with a bow.  I also remember you had strong spiritual powers, stronger than mine even.”

 

“Miroku?” Kagome asked him and he smiled at her.

 

“It’s just Roku now.  Funny how ones names can be so similar from life to life.  Kikyo and Kagome, so close sounding.  Miroku and Roku… Yashiro and Inuyasha…”

 

Kagome walked to stand next to him on the balcony, taking a sip of the drink in her hand.  “I didn’t think I would ever find anyone else from that time here,” she admitted.  He gave her a gentle smile, taking a sip of his own drink.

 

“I haven’t found everyone yet.  I don’t think I’ll ever find Shippo… I’m still looking for Sango…”

 

Kagome felt her heart sink.  She knew that he was probably really missing Sango.  “Yashiro is the only person I had found from that time… but I haven’t been looking.”

 

“Your spirit was looking for Inuyasha at first, as per Kikyo’s wish on the Shikon Jewel.  You had found him, but you didn’t realize your soul was screaming out for Yashiro’s spirit.  I’ve known Yashiro since we were children in the foster home.  His life, past and present, have been full of tragedy.  I’m surprised he’s so well adjusted, to be honest,” Roku said offhandedly. 

 

“Yeah, he told me about his mother dying,” Kagome replied, staring out at the moon.

 

Roku’s eyebrows shot up in surprise.  “His mother isn’t dead.  I saw her last week.”

 

Kagome’s body froze, turning to look at Roku.  “What?  He has an entire shrine dedicated to her, he prays to her every night.”

 

Roku shook his head.  “Yeah, he’d prefer to believe she was dead, so he’s told himself that she is.  She actually sold him when he was about seven years old, causing him to be taken from the home forcibly.  He kept running away to find her, but she didn’t ever really want him.  Don’t tell him I told you, he’s pretty sensitive about it.”

 

Kagome felt her heart break for him.  “I had no idea…”

 

Roku shrugged.  “We all have dark pasts.  It’s easier for him to believe that she died than to know that she never wanted him.  He was the product of an affair between a diplomat and his mistress.  His father died shortly after he was born.”

 

“That I knew, he told me that much,” Kagome said, relieved that he had told her something truthful. 

 

“Yeah, his mother went crazy after his father died, getting into drugs.  She would leave him alone for days as she was shooting up.  But he clung to her.  He always loved his mother, and still does.  She only contacts him when she needs money, which he always gives her without question.  It’s a very sad case.  It caused him to be quite the loner as an adult.  You’re the first girl I’ve ever seen him open up to.  He’s had other girlfriends, naturally, but he was never serious about them.  He’s quite enamored with you…”

 

Kagome felt herself blush.  “Yeah… he’s very affectionate with me.”

 

“Yeah, he’s a big softie.  Always has been.  But he seems to be possessive, a trait he’s never had in this life before.  I wonder if that’s a leftover from Inuyasha?”  


Kagome laughed.  “Inuyasha was incredibly possessive, it’s kind of strange because Yashiro isn’t possessive at all comparatively.”

 

Roku laughed.  “I wouldn’t say that.  He’s very determined to keep you to himself.  I’ve never seen the man get jealous before.  He would see his girlfriend’s work scenes with other men and not bat an eye.  I saw when the two of you walked in tonight and he had his arm pretty tightly around you.”

 

Kagome smiled at that, looking down at the cup in her hands.  “Hey Roku… you said that you remember your memories from your past life… what happened to Inuyasha?  I mean, was he alone with he… died?”  The words were hard to formulate, the thought of Inuyasha dying caused tears to rise up in her eyes.  Her hands were shaking as she asked.

 

Roku stared at Kagome, reaching out to hold her hand.  “Kagome… it’s not my place to say what happened.”

 

A tear slipped out of Kagome’s eyes.  “Was he happy?  After I left was he happy?”

 

Roku stared hard at Kagome, who gave him a pleading look.  “He was very lonely… but he would open up to Sango and I occasionally.  He never stopped loving you, and it carried over to this life.  The first time Yashiro saw you, he told me that he had fallen in love, which was so out of character for him, mind you.  I told him that you were likely the lover from his past life, which caused him to stop vising me… until this week.”

 

Kagome put her hand over her mouth to stifle the sob that rose in her throat.  “His loneliness carried over in this life too… and he never got an easy life…” she whispered. 

 

“Such is life.  But when I saw him this week, his loneliness was erased from his face. He looks more serene now than he ever looked before.  There’s a softness in his eyes that I’ve never seen before.  He truly loves you, you know.”

 

“I know…” Kagome sobbed.  They stood in silence for a few minutes as Kagome regained her composure once more.  “You said he saw you this week… why did he suddenly decide to visit you?”

 

“He brought me the inau and Inuyasha’s robe.  I’m surprised he didn’t tell you,” Roku replied, surprise evident in his voice. 

 

Kagome couldn’t hide her surprise either.  “Oh?”

 

Roku knew that he was treading on thin ice, realizing that Yashiro was keeping secrets from her yet again.  “The robe was just as I imagined it would be.  The inau was badly damaged though.”  He figured that by omitting details, he would save Yashiro’s skin.  Kagome’s face faltered, the hope extinguished once more.

 

“I see,” she whispered, wiping the tears away from her eyes.  “So, what kind of movies do you make?” Kagome asked him.

 

“I beg your pardon?” Roku replied, unsure of what she meant.

 

“Well nearly everyone here works in the adult film industry, so I figured you did as well,” Kagome replied, her voice going back to normal.

 

“Oh, I’m a fortune teller.  I’ve never worked in the industry, but a lot of the stars come and see me to have their fortunes read.  So naturally, I’m an honorary member of the community.”

 

Kagome giggled at the thought.  Miroku used to tell the same fortune to women back in the feudal age, so she wondered if that was still true.  “What’s my fortune?”

 

He smiled, taking her hand and reading her palm.  “You’re going to have a long life… with many children.”

 

She began to laugh, as he did too.  They heard footsteps a moment later to see Yashiro walking into the room, looking relieved.

 

“There you are,” he said, closing the distance between them, placing a kiss on her forehead.  “I was worried that you left me here to fend for myself.” He took a closer look at her face and saw that her eyes were puffy and her eye liner was smeared.  “Are you alright?”

 

Kagome nodded, “I’m great.  I was getting to know your friend Roku.  We have a lot in common.”

 

Yashiro gave Roku a dark look.  “Oh really?  What did he say?”

 

“Oh, we were just talking about my fortune telling abilities.  I think she’ll have many children someday,” Roku said, giving Yashiro a dark look as well.  Yashiro’s face turned bright red at his remark.

 

Kagome’s face also turned bright red upon seeing Yashiro’s face.  “It’s no big deal, we were mostly just discussing you.  He cares a lot about you,” Kagome said, covering for Roku.  She didn’t want Yashiro to know that they had been talking about his mother or his past.  She figured that eventually, Yashiro would tell her everything.  His life was his business, but she was dying of curiosity. 

 

“Come on, Kagome, there’s some people who want to meet you,” Yashiro said, leading Kagome away.

 

“Kagome!  Wait!” Roku said, causing Kagome and Yashiro to stop and turn to him.

 

“Come visit me in Little Edo.  My fortune telling shop is called the Kazanna Fortunes.  You won’t be disappointed.”

 

Kagome blushed as he winked at her, causing Yashiro to give him another dark look.  He wrapped his arm around her waist once more, leading her out of the room.  They went back to the main floor of the house, seeing more people mingling. 

 

"Do you want something to drink?” Yashiro asked Kagome, keeping his arm firmly around her waist.  She gave him a smile.

 

“I’d love another drink.  I’ll wait here,” she told him.  He gave her a kiss on her forehead, fighting his way through the crowd in search of drinks for them.  Kagome moved to be closer to the wall, watching the group of people mingle.  She had always enjoyed people watching, when suddenly a woman appeared beside her.  She had looked familiar to Kagome, with long black hair tied back into a braid, with dark red lipstick and almond shaped brown eyes.  She was a couple inches shorter than Kagome, but she had large breasts and wide hips accented with a slim waist.  Her lips were set in a pouty smile when she approached Kagome.

 

“You must be Yashiro’s new squeeze,” she said softly, her voice high pitched.  Kagome’s eyes grew wide.

 

“New squeeze?” Kagome asked, not sure what she was insinuating.

 

“Oh, he’s quite the womanizer you know.  At least he was, not sure if he is now, I haven’t seen him in about a year,” she said, waving her hand lightly.  “I’m Akane by the way, he and I used to work together.”

 

Kagome was realizing that there was a reason she looked familiar.  She was in the porn that Yashiro had shown her.  “Oh, I recognize you,” Kagome stated.  The girl smiled.

 

“I see that you’ve watched some of his work.  I’m guessing he only showed you the tamer stuff, considering you saw the ones with me in it.  We only worked a few scenes together, nothing too crazy.  He was so innocent back in the day, not like he was towards the end.”  She gave Kagome a sideways glance, daring her to ask.

 

“What do you mean… like he was towards the end?” Kagome pondered, feeling jealousy rise up.

 

“Oh you know, he specialized in bondage, would get really rough with the girls,” she told her, her smile never leaving her face.  However, her eyes were narrow, letting Kagome fall into her trap.  “He was well liked, always took care of the girls he worked with, but there’s a lot of girls here with scars from him.”

 

Kagome felt her blood run cold.  “Oh… that’s interesting…”

 

“But you know how men are… always wanting to be in control, Yashiro is no different.  Gotta keep him interested or he runs off to the next girl, that’s what happened with him and Sachiko.  She couldn’t keep him entertained so he started messing around with other girls.”

 

Kagome’s eyes grew wide, feeling nervous.  “Really?”

 

“Oh yes, but most men are like that.  They’re like children, always wanting the next shiny, new toy.  You’ll keep him entertained for now… but he’ll get tired of this innocent act you pull and move on to the next girl.  Don’t think you’re anything special, he’s dated a dozen girls like you.”

 

“Oh just a dozen?  He’s told me he’s been with more than that,” Kagome told her, trying to be snarky back.

 

“Oh so you know his womanizing past,” Akane said, surprised.  “Did he tell you about the girl he knocked up two years ago?  It’s why he quit working in the industry, funny how a child can change things… I know he always liked doing bukkake too… but most men do.  Oh look, here he comes.  It was nice meeting you Kaguya.”

 

“Kagome, my name is Kagome.”

 

She laughed lightly, “It doesn’t matter what your name is, you’re just a tally on a list.”

 

She sashayed away, touching Yashiro’s shoulder.  He gave her a dark look, his mouth set in a grimace as she walked by.  Kagome stared at Yashiro, wondering if what she said was true. 

 

“Kagome, are you alright?” he asked her, handing her a gin and tonic.  She quickly took a gulp of the drink, staring at his worried face. 

 

“Yashiro… do you like bukkake?” Kagome asked him, nervousness in her voice.  He had been drinking his tonic when he spit out his drink.

 

“Jesus Kagome, where the hell did that come from?”

 

“Just something I heard.  What is it anyway?” she asked him, causing him to blush.

 

“It’s uh… you know what?  Don’t worry about it.  I’m not a fan.”

 

He saw relief flood over Kagome’s features.  “I was talking to that girl Akane while you were gone… she’s kind of different.”

 

Yashiro’s mouth pressed into a firm line, a vein jutting out of his neck in irritation.  “She’s a fucking bitch.”

 

“Yashiro!” Kagome hissed.

 

“She is, what’d she say to you?” he demanded.

 

“Uh… nothing…” Kagome said, staring down into her drink, avoiding his gaze.

 

“She’s a liar, don’t believe what she says.”

 

“So you really didn’t work a lot of bondage movies?” she asked him, catching him off guard.  His face turned red once more.

 

“Uh… well I did do that,” he told her, running his fingers through his long hair. 

 

“She said that there are a lot of girls with scars because of you,” she told him, pressing him for more information.

 

He looked like a deer in the headlights.  “Well, it was a movie,” he tried to explain.  “The girls consented.”

 

She narrowed her eyes at him.  “She said you cheated on Sachiko because you got bored with her.”

 

His eyes grew wide.  “It’s not what you think…” he told her, causing Kagome to throw her drink in his face.

 

“Liar, huh?  I keep learning so many things about you, Yashiro!  What about the kid?” she half yelled.  Several people turned to stare at them.

 

“The kid?” he asked, genuinely confused.

 

“Yeah, she said you got a girl pregnant which is why you quit working in the industry!” she half yelled, causing a lot of people to stare at them.  Realization dawned on his face as he felt his face burn bright red.

 

“Kagome, can we talk about this outside?  We’re drawing a crowd,” he told her, which caused Kagome to look around, seeing nearly everyone in the room was staring at them.  Kagome made eye contact with Sachiko, who looked away, ashamed. 

 

Kagome stormed out of the house, stomping her way down the gravel driveway.  Sachiko and Yashiro followed her.

 

“Kagome, you can’t listen to her!  She’s warping the information!” Sachiko yelled, chasing after Kagome. 

 

Kagome turned to stare down Sachiko and Yashiro both, who were standing a few feet from her.

 

“So he didn’t cheat on you?” Kagome demanded.  Sachiko looked away.

 

“It’s complicated, we weren’t working out,” Yashiro tried to explain.  “We had pretty much broken up at that point, and we had agreed to be friends.”

 

Kagome stared at him.  “So that week we had pretty much split up, how many girls did you sleep with then?”

 

“None!  Kagome, I’m not like that anymore!  Its ancient history!” he pleaded.

 

“Then what about the child?” Kagome demanded, causing Sachiko’s eyes to grow wide.

 

“Not mine!  I found out that it wasn’t mine right after the baby was born!  We had a DNA test and it was someone else’s!” Yashiro cried, trying to move closer to Kagome, but she kept her distance.

 

“Kagome, he’s telling the truth,” Sachiko explained, stepping closer to her.  “That girl was desperate to have his baby and they weren’t even dating.”

 

Kagome stared down Sachiko.  “Why are you defending him?”

 

“Because he’s a good person and he’s my friend.  He’s not the same person he was all those years ago.  He’s grown up, he’s matured.”

 

“Akane said that I’m just another tally on the list,” Kagome said, tears welling up in her eyes.  “That when you get bored with a girl that you toss her aside… is that what you used to do?”

 

“Kagome, it’s not like that---,” he began to say, grabbing her wrist.  She tried to pull away, but his grip was too strong.  “Will you just listen to me!”

 

“Yashiro you’re hurting me!” Kagome cried, trying to pull away from him, but he tightened his grip. 

 

“I’ll let go when you agree to listen!  I’m not the same person I was, alright?  I love you, Kagome, I never lied about that.”

 

“What else have you lied about?” she hissed, narrowing her eyes.

 

“Nothing,” he told her.  He avoided his gaze when he said that, causing her anger to rise.

 

“Yashiro!  What else have you lied about?” she half yelled at him. 

 

“Yashiro, you need to tell her,” they heard a man’s voice say.  Yashiro turned to see Roku standing behind them.  His arms were crossed and he was glaring at Yashiro.  Sachiko stared at Yashiro, giving him a dark look.

 

“Yashiro, you say you’ve changed, but you’re still hiding things from her,” Sachiko reasoned.  “You need to stop lying or you’re going to lose her.”

 

“Will someone please tell me what’s going on!” Kagome yelled, ripping her arm away from Yashiro’s grip.  She began to rub her wrist, realizing that she was going to bruise.  She was hurt, she was angry, and she wanted to know what he had been lying about.

 

“Kagome… there’s a lot more about me you don’t know, but I’m not ready to tell you yet.  If you just give me time, I’ll tell you everything, I promise, but not right now, not like this.”  His voice sounded strained, and when Kagome looked up, she saw that he had tears running down his face.  She felt guilty immediately, wanting to reach out to him, but holding back because she was still so angry.

 

“Yashiro… let’s go home,” she said after several minutes of silence.  “You can tell me everything tomorrow.”

 

He nodded, walking with his head bowed, following closely behind her.  Sachiko and Roku watched them walk away.

 

“He won’t tell her about the inau, will he?” Sachiko said quietly.  It was more of a statement than a question.

 

“I highly doubt it.  Not until she agrees to be his, anyway.  He’s never been possessive until her, and I wonder if he’s that incredibly scared of losing her that he feels he needs to smother her.”

 

Sachiko shrugged.  “I fear that he’s going to lose her if he doesn’t tell her.”

 

“I think we’re in agreement, Sachiko.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Muahahahahaha.... Thank you all for the amazing comments, I hope that this chapter answers some questions I"ve seen, as well as arouses some suspicion about Yashiro. Until next time!


	18. The Walking Paradox

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yashiro tellls Kagome the full truth about the inau, Kagome has trouble deciding what to do.

Kagome and Yashiro walked into their apartment in silence.  The train ride had been extremely quiet, Yashiro no longer crying, but his face reflecting that of a child in trouble.  Kagome realized that perhaps some things would never change.  Inuyasha would have the same look on his face when they fought, and now she was fighting with Yashiro, who had the look of a broken little boy who can’t be strong anymore.

 

Kagome took her shoes off, rubbing her feet from the forming blisters.  The pumps were a bad idea, she realized.  She was feeling guiltier every moment for creating such a scene in front of his friends.  They probably thought she was a real piece of work, throwing her drink in his face and yelling at him like that.  She was realizing that she had a short temper, and she realized that his past was truly his business.  She wanted to know more about him, and considering he had proposed to her earlier in the evening, she wanted to know what she would potentially be marrying.

 

_I can’t think about marrying him in a time like this,_ she thought to herself.  _We keep getting into these little fights and we get so emotional.  I wonder if this could even work long term…_

 

The thought of splitting up with Yashiro caused tears to sting her eyes.  She was so desperately in love with him, begging him not to leave her, but becoming angry at the first instance of someone, whom he does not get along with, telling her that she’s just a tally on a list. 

 

She was infuriated with that girl, she was horrible.  Yashiro was right, she was a fucking bitch. 

 

Yashiro stood in the foyer, unmoving, his shoulders slumped in defeat. 

 

“Yashiro…” Kagome began, but she stopped when he turned to look at her.  His eyes were incredibly sad, his face of pure defeat.

 

“I’m sorry, I should have told you about all of that stuff, I’m just afraid of scaring you away.”

 

His voice was flat, no emotion in his words, which told her he was feeling desperate.  He was afraid of her walking out, and she was half tempted to do so. 

 

“Yashiro, I know that you’re hiding a lot from me, and I understand.  But I realize that… your past is your business, and if you don’t want to tell me, I understand, but I just wish you could trust me with your secrets.”  They stood in silence for what felt like an eternity, until, finally, he took a deep breath and began to speak. 

 

“I have a lot of things in my past that I’d like to leave there,” he began to explain.  “My life growing up was hell, and a good chunk of my adult life was too.  The bondage movies were just that--- movies.  Before we’d start the set, I’d sit down with each of the women I worked with and we’d set boundaries and figure out how far I could go, and that’s how far I went.  Most of the girls were fine with going as far as we did, and afterwards I’d take care of them to make up for it.  Akane just… she likes to stir up trouble, and when she found out that I had asked to not work with her anymore, she’s been on the warpath to get revenge on me.”  He stepped closer to Kagome, taking a look at her bruised wrist.  “I’m so sorry I hurt you… I would never mean to hurt you.”  He lifted her wrist delicately to his lips, kissing the inside of it softly.  She saw tears well up in his eyes again.  “I hate myself for hurting you as I have, I’ve been incredibly selfish, wanting to keep you to myself.”

 

Kagome felt her heart sink, she could see the pain on his face as he spoke.  She moved her hand to cup his face, closing the distance between them.  “Yashiro… I’ve been selfish too.  I want to know more about you… but I forget how painful that can be for you.  I’ll listen when you’re ready to talk.”

 

He gave her a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes, leaning his face into her hand.  “Thanks… I’m going to take a quick shower.”

 

She nodded, pulling her hand away and walking towards the bedroom as he walked to the bathroom.  She undressed and put on her pajamas.  She looked over at the trunk, curious to see what kind of movies he made.  He was in the shower, so she shrugged and walked over to the trunk.

 

The few times she had opened it, she was always astounded at the number of movies he had made.  It felt like an endless sea of movies, just staring back at her.  She found one that looked like it was more recent, he was wearing a leather suit and a girl that was gagged and tied up on the front cover.  It was called _Bondage Babes IV._ She looked at the year and it was made three years ago, definitely one of his more recent ones.  She pulled up another movie and it showed several men and one woman, it was called _Bukakke Dreams_.  She turned the cover of that over and saw that the men were surrounding the woman who was on her knees, listing the names of the actors.  Yashiro’s name was on it, but it was his stage name.  She sighed, putting the movies back into the trunk where she found them, closing it.

 

That was a part of his life that she was realizing she didn’t want to know a lot about.  It always caused a lot of jealousy to rise up in her chest, even though it was years ago.  She was so innocent compared to him, having grown up in a loving family and having only been with him.  He grew up with a drug addicted mother who would leave him alone for days, eventually being put in the foster care system where he was abused.  She always had a roof over her head, he had spent many of his teen years on the streets. 

 

She was realizing that they were complete opposites, wondering if they each completed a part of each other the other needed.  He needed someone to love him, to show him that he was cared for.  She needed someone to help her be strong, something she’s never really needed before.  They completed each other in a strange way. 

 

She wiped away a tear, she felt like she was depending on him when in reality he was clinging to her like a lost little boy, just wanting to be loved.  She felt horrible, wanting to reach out to him.  She saw the bruise on her wrist, feeling a little less sorry for him. 

 

She was sitting on the bed when he walked in, wearing nothing but low riding boxers.  She stared at her wrist, feeling her anger ebb once more.  He kneeled down in front of Kagome, his hands covering hers.

 

“Kagome… I can’t tell you how sorry I am.  I should have never grabbed you like that… It was really wrong of me…”  He placed his face in her lap, his arms moving to wrap around her.  Her hand moved to pet his wet hair, feeling the silky strands between her fingers.  “There is something I should tell you… and it was wrong of me to hide it… but I’m so afraid of losing you…”

 

She continued to idly play with his hair.  “Yashiro… don’t worry about it,” she said gently, but he shook his head.

 

“No, I will worry about it… I keep hiding secrets from you and it’s not fair to you,” he told her, sitting up to look at her.   His face was a few inches from hers, staring her down.  Her face was gentle, giving him a soft smile.  She moved her hands to cup his face.

 

“Yashiro, you can tell me when you’re ready, I won’t push you anymore.  But I do want to say… I don’t really want to know any more about your work history… Maybe someday I’ll change my mind, but the thought of you with other women makes me really jealous, and that’s not fair to you.”

 

“Kagome…” he said, leaning in to kiss her.  His lips brushed against hers softly, causing warmth to spread throughout her body once more.  “There’s something I have to tell you,” he whispered against her lips, but she shook her head, kissing him once more.

 

“No…. it can wait,” she told him. Her fingers tangled in his hair, pulling him to her.  She kissed him deeply, enjoying the feel of him.  He wanted to pull back, but he needed her right now.  He needed to know that she wasn’t leaving, and right now, she was calling to him.  She leaned back and he followed her, lying beside her, kissing her softly.  His hand rested on her stomach, feeling the curve of her hip beneath his fingertips.  Her hands moved down his chest, feeling his hot flesh beneath her fingertips. 

 

“Kagome…” he whispered, kissing her tenderly.  His heart called out to her, wanting to embrace her and show her how much he wanted to make her his.  “Will you promise not to leave me?” he begged.  “Please tell me you won’t leave… I need you,” he said, kissing her deeply.  His hand stayed on her waist, pulling her flush to him.  Her hand moved to rest on his face.

 

“I promise,” she whispered back, kissing him. 

 

He pulled away and walked over to his dresser, opening the top drawer.  He looked down on the faded, folded up paper.  He stared at it for a while, fighting an internal battle with himself.

 

Finally, morality won over and he grabbed it, walking back to the bed where a confused Kagome stared at him.  He sat down next to her, handing her the paper.

 

“This fell out of the robe of the firerat that day at the shrine.  I was afraid that if you found it, I’d lose you, so I’ve been hiding it.”

 

Kagome’s eyes grew wide, she was about to shout in anger… until she saw the defeated look on his face.  “Why did you hide it?”

 

She didn’t see Yashiro sitting in front of her, she saw a lost little boy who looked scared.  “I can’t tell you how afraid I am of losing you, Kagome.  You’re my world now, you’re my everything.  You’re the reason I get up every morning, you’re all I dream of when I sleep.  When you’re gone, I ache for your touch, when you’re here, you’re like a drug that I can’t get enough of.  I’ve never really been in love before, and I never thought it would be so intense.  I don’t know if it’s because I’m supposedly a reincarnation of Inuyasha, or if we’re just kindred spirits, but I know that I want you with me for the rest of my life, and I don’t want to ever lose you.”

 

Kagome was speechless.  She stared at the paper in her shaking hands.  She wanted to be angry with him for hiding it, but she understood.  She delicately opened the aged paper, seeing handwriting she didn’t recognize.  She realized that it was instructions on how to perform the ceremony, emphasizing that she may get three days to return to the feudal era.  The bottom of the note stated that Inuyasha would be waiting by the well.

 

She ran her fingers over the faded ink, tears falling down her face.  She began to shake violently, a sob escaping her throat.

 

“Kagome… when do you want to see him again?” Yashiro asked her gently.  “Roku said he can perform the ceremony, so we just have to let him know when.”

 

Kagome bent over, her head on her knees as she sobbed.  “I don’t know…” she hiccoughed. 

 

_Is it worth going back for just three days?_  She asked herself.  _M_ y _heart would break all over again, and so would his…_

 

Yashiro wrapped his arm around Kagome’s shoulders, to which she wrapped her arms around his neck, sobbing into his shoulder.  He moved his arms around her, squeezing her tightly.

 

“I don’t even know if it’s worth it,” she cried, sobbing loudly.  He pet her hair, rubbing her back as she continued to cry.

  
“Kagome, if he’s anything like me, five minutes would be worth it to see your face again,” he whispered against her hair. 

 

“It would break his heart all over again,” she tried to reason, hiccoughing. 

 

“It’s breaking his heart now that he hasn’t seen you,” Yashiro tried to reason.  “He knew it would only be for three days, yet he left the items for you to find anyway, it’s entirely up to you if you decide to go… but will you promise to come back to me?  When it’s over, will you still be with me?”

 

She looked up at his face, he was being sincere.  He had a look of deep sadness on his face, but she knew that he was thinking only of her. 

 

“Yes,” she whispered, kissing him once more.  In her mind though, she imagined only Inuyasha.

 

He broke the kiss, staring down at her.  “Kagome… I don’t want you to go, but if you need to go, I’ll support you.”

 

She leaned into his hand, placing her hand over his.  “I don’t know what I’m going to do yet,” she whispered.  She wanted to see Inuyasha again, but she was afraid. 

 

They held each other for the rest of the night, not moving from each other’s embrace.  He held her as he slept, letting her salt his hair with her tears.  They clung to each other, both chasing away bad dreams that would destroy their spirits.

 

-*-*-

 

Kagome sat at a coffee shop in a part of Tokyo she was unfamiliar with.  It was the ritzy part of town, to say the least.  The shops were all designer, and the coffee she had in front of her was expensive, costing over five dollars.  Sachiko had wanted to meet her there, without Yashiro in tow.  She specifically stated to make sure Yashiro didn’t know they were meeting, which caused her concern.  Finals were over and her summer break had started.  It had been about two months since Yashiro had shown her the paper he had hidden, and while their relationship was a little rockier than what it had been before, they were mending.  The intimacy had definitely toned down, but they had both been incredibly busy.  He was preparing for a Kung Fu tournament, so he was at the gym training most evenings.  She had finished moving into his apartment and they had been enjoying each other’s company, falling into a comfortable peace that she had never known before.

 

Her relationship with Inuyasha had been full of excitement and adventure, something that she didn’t realize that she craved.  While Yashiro was exciting in his own way, battling demons brought on a rush that nothing could compete with.  She hated to admit it, but her relationship with Yashiro was starting to get boring.  They stopped fighting and he was finally opening up to her.  He still hadn’t told her about his mother, and she hadn’t asked.  He still prayed to her, or, she guessed, for her, every evening.  Every so often he would tell her something about himself.  He did admit that he was sold to traffickers when he was about seven years old, but he didn’t tell her it was his mother who did the selling.  When he spoke of his mother, he put her on a pedestal, something that Kagome found tiresome. 

 

Kagome sipped her coffee, thinking about the complexities of Yashiro.  He had seemed almost simple when she first met him, but with each layer she pulled back, more secrets were revealed and there were times that she felt that she didn’t even know him---something that drove her mad.  Kagome looked up to see Sachiko sit across from her with a cup of coffee in her hand, giving Kagome a warm smile.

 

“Thank you for meeting me,” Sachiko said, settling herself down and taking a sip of coffee.  “I’m sorry we had to meet in this area, I had to pick an area that I knew Yashiro wouldn’t find us.”

 

Kagome’s eyebrows raised up in question.  “What is this about?”

 

Sachiko fumbled with her coffee cup, avoiding her gaze.  “I know that you’ve been kind of avoiding me since the party, and I wanted to explain about that girl, Akane.”

 

“Oh?” Kagome said, intrigued.  “She’s kind of a bitch.”

 

“Yeah… she is.  She’s had a crush on Yashiro for years.  She’s gone out of her way to make his life miserable when she found out that he didn’t like her at all.”

 

“So why are you telling me this?” Kagome asked her, which is where Sachiko motioned for her to come closer so they could whisper.

 

“Akane is Yashiro’s ex girlfriend.  They dated for about two months when he first started in the business.  However, she was cheating on him so he dumped her, and she’s been mad ever since.”

 

Kagome turned her head to the side.  “So… why are you telling me this?”

 

“She has a nasty habit of… stalking.  I think that she’s stalking Yashiro again, which means she’s probably following you too.”

 

Kagome’s eyes widened.  “So you think that she’s dangerous?  Why not tell Yashiro?”

 

“He’ll get upset and do something stupid if you tell him.  I want you to know so you can stay on your toes in case anything gets dangerous.  I don’t think she’d be dumb enough to actually hurt you, but I don’t want you to be careless and let her trip you up.  I heard her bragging on set the other day that she was going to get Yashiro back, and I don’t know why she would ever think that would work.  I think she’s going to try to make you look bad so he’d split with you.”

 

Kagome rolled her eyes.  “This sounds like something out of a movie,” she said in a bored tone. 

 

“Kagome, I’m being serious, she could be seriously dangerous,” Sachiko warned her.  “I wouldn’t tell you if I didn’t think you were at some sort of risk.”

 

“I guess… Hey, I have Yashiro questions to ask you, since I’ve got you here,” Kagome said, changing the subject.

 

Sachiko felt like that Kagome wasn’t taking her seriously, but she couldn’t do much else.  “Sure, what do you want to know?”

 

“Akane said that Yashiro gets… bored easily,” Kagome began to explain, making it Sachiko’s turn to roll her eyes.

 

“I promise he doesn’t,” Sachiko told her.  “He likes to experiment though.”

 

“Oh?  How so?”  Kagome said, intrigued.

 

“Well, what kind of stuff have you two done in the bedroom?” Sachiko asked, taking a sip of her coffee.

 

Kagome blushed, looking at her coffee.  “Well, we’ve done a lot of foreplay… and we’ve done a few different positions…”

 

Sachiko’s eyes went wide.  “What about toys?”

 

“Well I have an iRabbit… He’s helped me use that a couple of times…”

 

“Wow, you guys keep it pretty vanilla.  Do you guys do it anywhere else but the bedroom?”

 

“We’ve done it in the bath a couple times, once in the shower…” Kagome’s face was a dark red at this point.

 

“Wow.”

 

“It’s started to slow down again, but we’ve kind of fallen into a routine with the sex.  Either one of us initiates, there’s foreplay… then we do it.”  Kagome felt incredibly awkward, confiding in Sachiko.  She was easy to talk to, and Kagome’s voice was hushed, hoping nobody would hear her. 

 

“Dang, yeah if it’s slowed down, you’re getting into a routine.  Have you ever just pinned him to the wall and pretty much forced him?”

 

Kagome looked up at her confused.  “What do you mean?”

 

“I mean when he gets home from work or whatever, shove him against the wall or the door and kiss him, start to undo his pants like you can’t get them off fast enough, and do it right against the wall.”

 

Kagome’s eyes grew wide.  “Would he like that?”  


“Honey, every guy dreams of that.  Their girl not being able to wait to sleep with him?  He’d be putty in your hands.  What about other toys?”

 

“What other toys are there?”

 

“Girl, go get a we-vibe, or maybe a butt plug.  There’s also bondage, he’s pretty experienced with bondage and he’s pretty good at it.  He doesn’t like to admit it, but he likes to be in control.  However, you’d have to set boundaries, and he’s very good at respecting those.”

 

Kagome nodded, taking a mental note.  “Akane said he liked bukkake… is that something worth looking into?”

 

Sachiko burst out laughing.  “Kagome… trust me, you don’t want to do that.  You’d need about five other men to do bukkake.”

 

She turned bright red, staring down at her coffee.  “Nobody will tell me what it is.”

 

Sachiko began to laugh more, drawing attention in the coffee shop.  “Just go watch a movie of it, you’ll figure it out really quickly.  Or do a google search, it’s easily explained.”

 

Kagome continued to stay red, wishing she had kept her mouth shut.  “So… is there anything specifically that he likes?”

 

Sachiko shrugged.  “He’s always been a giver, even in his younger days.  As long as you’re enjoying yourself, he’s enjoying himself.  If you come off as needing his body right then, he’ll go crazy.  He’s always afraid to full blown make the first move for fear of rejection, but you need to give a signal.  A strong signal of pushing him against the wall and ripping his pants off, he’ll jump on that quickly.”

 

“Thanks, I appreciate it.  Maybe I’ll drag him to the sex store and have him help me pick some stuff out,” Kagome offered, giving a bashful smile.

 

“Nah, surprise him.  If you hand him a flogger and tell him you’ve been naughty, he’d probably blush and carry you off.”

 

The girls continued to talk about work, Sachiko going on about a new guy who didn’t know what he was doing, while Kagome talked about stocking books.  The two jobs didn’t really compare, but they were both desperate to change the topic.  After an hour or so, the sun had begun to set and Kagome realized that she needed to get home before Yashiro did.  They hugged, going their separate ways.  Kagome made it home just after dark, beating Yashiro home.

 

She decided to take Sachiko’s advice, pinning him to the wall to see how he’d react.  She made sure to wear her extra short skirt, leaving her panties off so he’d have easier access.  She took her bra off, but wore a button down shirt so he could get it open easily enough.  She went into the bathroom and tidied up her hair, making sure she looked presentable.  She put on pink lip gloss, hoping to make her lips look pouty. 

 

She hated to admit it, but she liked when they were going at it multiple times a day.  She had felt more relaxed, and in the last couple of months, she couldn’t bring herself to go see Inuyasha.  There were times when she really wanted to go see him, but she had a suspicion that the inau still wouldn’t work considering how damaged it was.  Sometimes she would hold the robe of the firerat and smell Inuyasha’s scent, but she realized that she needed to try to focus on Yashiro more now. 

 

She was looking at herself in the mirror when she heard the front door open.  She walked into the main living area to see him closing the door, dropping his duffel bag on the floor and taking his shoes off.

 

“Hey Kagome,” he said, giving her a smile.  She stood in front of him, waiting for him to get his shoes off.  He was wearing faded jeans and a baggy tshirt, smelling of sweat.  He smelled amazing, the scent of pine and musk reaching her nose, intoxicating her.  She moved forward quickly, pushing him against the door. 

 

She slammed her lips onto his, bunching his shirt in her hands.  He kissed her back, his hands resting on her hips.  “Good to see you too,” he mumbled, his hands moving under her shirt.  She moved her hands down to unbutton his jeans, causing him to groan into her mouth.

 

He quickly turned her so she was against the wall, thrusting his hips into hers, kissing her hard.  His tongue darted into her mouth as his hand moved under her shirt, noticing that she wasn’t wearing a bra.  His hand began to massage her breast, teasing her nipple, feeling it harden between his fingers.  His other hand moved down to pull his pants and boxers down just enough for his erection to spring free.  She felt him hard against her stomach, feeling the need for him grow.  Her body was on fire, wanting him.  She felt like she needed him.

 

Her hand moved down to grasp him, but he grabbed her wrist and pinned it to the wall.  “Yashiro… Please…” she begged, arching her back so her hips were pressed firmly against his.  His hand moved down to move up her skirt, smiling against her lips when he realized she wasn’t wearing panties either.

 

“Please what?” he whispered slyly against her lips.  His hand moved between her thighs, lifting her leg so he had access.   He teased her entrance, feeling just how wet she was.  He moaned, letting his tip taunt her.  He didn’t realize how bad he needed this.

 

“Please… fuck me…” she moaned, moving her hips in attempt to feel him inside her.  His eyebrows went up in surprise, he had never heard her say it like that before.

 

He thrust inside her quickly, causing her to cry out.  He had her pinned against the wall as he thrust frantically inside of her.  He had one arm holding up her leg while the other hand was under her shirt, toying with her breast.  His lips barely parted with hers as her cries were muffled by his kiss. 

 

“Harder!” she gasped, her arms going around his neck to hang on to him for balance.  Her nails dug into his shoulders as he began to thrust deeper inside of her.  She buried her face in his neck, clinging to him as her cries were muffled. 

 

He could feel her clench around him, causing him to feel a tightness in himself.  As her body burst into convulsions, she continued to clench tighter around him as he thrust harder into her.

 

“Kagome...” he moaned as she milked his cock, expelling his seed inside her.  His body slumped, pinning her tighter against the wall as he slowly let her leg back down on the ground, sliding out of her. 

 

They stayed there for a few minutes, catching their breath.  “Goddamn Kagome…” he gasped, placing a kiss on her lips.  “That was… fuck…”

 

She let out a soft giggle, placing a kiss on his nose.  “I thought you’d enjoy that,” she whispered.  He stepped back, enjoying the look of her flushed cheeks and swollen lips.  She adjusted her shirt and skirt, just as he adjusted his pants.  When they were presentable again, she walked into the kitchen as he followed.

 

“What do you want for dinner?” she asked him, going into the fridge, bending over to see what they had.  He stared at her ass for a solid minute, not hearing her question.  When she turned to look at him, she saw his expression, she realized he wasn’t hungry for food.

 

“I’m good,” he told her, his hands grabbing her hips, pulling them flush to him.  She could feel that he was ready to go again, causing a giggle to escape her lips once more.  “But I’d love to have some more fun…”

 

She stood up so she was flush against him, lightly grinding her hips into his, causing a moan to escape his lips.  His hands refused to leave her hips, gripping them tightly.  He leaned down to kiss her neck, nipping at it gently.  She turned around quickly, wrapping her arms around his neck as she kissed him hungrily.  She was craving him tonight, more than she had in a long time.  Her body was ready for him again, hoping that he’d take action.

 

“If you want it, take it,” she whispered, pulling away to sit on the kitchen counter.  He followed her, forcing her legs open so he rested between them.  He fumbled with his pants once more, freeing himself from the restrictive clothing. He kissed her forcefully, biting her bottom lip, causing her to moan out.  His hand guided his cock inside her once more, thrusting hard into her.  His hands moved to hold her hips in place as he began to frantically thrust inside her once more.  Her legs moved to wrap around his waist, giving him better access to thrust deeper inside of her.  Their lips never parted as he thrust, her nails digging into his shoulders once more.

 

He felt her clench up almost immediately, her moans enticing him to thrust harder.  His nails dug into her hips, gripping them tighter to keep her from moving as he pounded into her, feeling himself reach the brink almost immediately. 

 

“Yashiro…” she moaned, her legs tightening around his hips.  “Yashiro, don’t stop!” she gasped, attempting to match his thrusts.

 

“Kagome!” he groaned as he felt her shudder, tightening around him.  He felt himself come shortly thereafter, letting out a long moan against her lips as he emptied himself inside her once more.  They stayed in each other’s arms for a few minutes, catching their breath.  He leaned forward and kissed her, his arms moving to wrap around her waist, pulling her flush to him. 

 

“That was… damn…” she whispered on his lips, causing a smile to form across his. 

 

“Yeah… I agree…” he whispered, kissing her gently.  “What brought this on?  Not that I’m complaining,” he asked, kissing down her neck.  His hands wandered over her back, moving to squeeze the soft flesh touching the kitchen counter.  He pulled out of her slowly, causing her to whimper. 

 

“Oh… just wanted to see how you’d react… I’m not disappointed,” she sighed, exposing her neck to him.  “I do have a challenge for you though…”

 

“Hmm?” he asked, his hands moving to completely unbutton her shirt, exposing her chest to his hungry gaze.  He was insatiable, but she was feeling the familiar flame in her stomach as well. 

 

“I want to see if you can make it so I can’t walk tomorrow.  You’ve bragged that it’s a good thing if I can’t walk… can you live up to it?”

 

She saw a wolfish grin touch his lips, moving to kiss her breast.  He lightly nipped at her nipple, causing a sigh to escape her lips. 

 

“I can definitely try,” he told her.  Her legs were still tightly around his waist, so he picked her up with ease and carried her to the bedroom.  “You might regret it later though.”

 

“Try me, dog boy.”

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know Kagome seems wishy washy... but seeing Inuyasha again when she has a relationship with Yashiro would be difficult to say the least. I promise though, there will be further development to Inuyasha in the next chapter :) 
> 
> I'll be flying to New England this weekend so I won't be able to post anything else for probably a week, but fear not! I've got a good start :)
> 
> Thank you all for the comments, and for pointing out consistency errors. I'm trying to address them, but it's difficult. 
> 
> Xoxo


	19. Bargaining

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kagome makes a deal with Yashiro about his winning the Kung Fu Tournament...

The final day of the Kung Fu tournament had arrived.  Yashiro was in the final four contestants, with three young men in their late teens being the competition.  He was confident, with an air of superiority about him as he walked around the mats, attempting to intimidate his opponents.  Kagome stood to the side of the mats, watching him strut around like he owned the place letting a giggle escape her lips. 

 

A week before she had challenged him to see if he could make her unable to walk, and he didn’t disappoint.  They went for hours, nearly until dawn, and the next morning she was able to walk… but barely.  She was pretty wobbly on her legs, walking with a waddle, and every time he looked at her he would just grin.  It took two days to be able to walk normally again, and ever since that night his appetite had been fully restored to multiple times a day.  The morning of the tournament they had fooled around in the shower and slept together twice before he had to rush out the door before being late.  She showed up shortly after his first round that day, seeing him win with a kick to the head. 

 

The next two rounds would determine if he was the winner, making her nervous.  She stood by the mats, wondering what she should do to encourage him to win.  She had been thinking about his marriage proposal more seriously in recent weeks, especially the last week.  She knew that she loved him, and she wanted to be with him, but the image of Inuyasha continually haunted her mind.  She wanted to see Inuyasha, but her heart told her it would be too hard to be torn away from him after three days of reunification.  She felt her shoulders slump as she sighed, her heart was torn.

 

“Hey beautiful,” she heard Yashiro whisper in her ear as he gave her a peck on the cheek.  He was so happy, nothing could ruin his mood.  “My next round starts in five minutes, you going to watch?”  


“Of course!” she said with false enthusiasm.  She had to admit, watching the Kung Fu tournament gave her a rush she hadn’t experienced in a while.  She was enjoying the fights, enjoying Yashiro be crowned victor…

 

“So what will you give me if I win?” he asked her slyly, placing an arm around her waist, pulling her close to him.  She grinned.

 

“Win the tournament, and I’ll reconsider your marriage offer,” she told him, point blank.  His eyes went wide in surprise.

 

“You will?” he whispered, his face completely serious now.

 

“Only if you win,” she said, giving him a sly smile. 

 

“And what if I lose?” he asked her, nuzzling her neck, causing her to blush.  She wasn’t a fan of public affection.

 

“Hmm… I go back and see Inuyasha.”

 

He stopped moving, his blood going cold.  He pulled back and looked at her, her face serious.

 

She didn’t know where that came from, but now that she had said it, she figured it was a good idea.  If he wins, they get married.  If he were to lose, she goes and sees Inuyasha… and maybe, eventually, she and Yashiro get married.  It was ballsy, and the concern written on his face caused her stomach to sink, but this was better than a coin toss.  She could reflip the coin until she got what made her feel better, the tournament guaranteed that she’d have to follow through on what she decided.

 

“And what about after seeing Inuyasha?” he asked her quietly.

 

She thought about it.  “I don’t know… Maybe I’ll let you tie me up…”

 

He frowned, giving her a dark look.  “You’re playing really dirty,” he told her, letting his arms drop and walking away. 

 

“Then win!” she yelled after him.  “Show me your strength!  Fight for me!”

 

He turned to look at her, giving her a smile.  “Kagome, I’ve been fighting for you my whole life, you just didn’t know it.”

 

She saw him disappear into the crowded arena, following in his direction until she reached the ring that he was going to be fighting in.  He was standing in the corner, with a large teenager in the other corner.  Yashiro was taller than his opponent, but this kid had way more muscles than Yashiro.  Yashiro wasn’t lanky by any means, but he was lean muscle, and she knew he was fast.  She saw this kid and gulped, wondering if his bulkiness reflected his skill.  His neck was bigger than his head, his arms tight against the shirt, looking like it was about to rip.  His pants were tight on him too, making Kagome wonder if he wore his clothing tighter on purpose to come off as more intimidating, or if these were the only clothes that would fit him from how bulky he was.

 

Yashiro spotted Kagome on the sidelines, winking at her. 

 

“Ladies and Gentlemen, the semi-final battle for the Kung Fu Tournament is underway!  In this corner, the presiding champion, Yashiro Nagasaki!  Two time winner of the Tokyo Kung Fu Championship and longtime contender!  Now in this corner, his first year, Hitoyomi Saotome!  Seventeen years old and in his senior year of high school, attending his first non-junior tournament!”

 

The crowds cheered as both names could be heard chanted in the stands.  Kagome stood on the side of the ring, wriggling her hands together, nervous.  The last guy Yashiro fought had a broken rib from the fighting, Yashiro was covered in bruises.  The tournament had been going on for three days and every night he had been icing his sore body from the impacts. 

 

The bell rang, and the men were at each other’s throats.  She could see Yashiro easily dodge Hitoyomi’s attacks.  She had guessed right, this kid was slow in comparison to Yashiro.  However, she had only ever seen demons faster than Yashiro.

 

Yashiro dodged, moving out of the way of a punch that shook the floor of the ring, making Yashiro’s eyes grow wide.  One punch from this kid and he’d be out, so he had to stay light on his feet.  He saw that the kid’s stance was poor, so tripping him would be easy. 

 

“Hey kid, I think turtles move faster than you!” Yashiro yelled, causing the kid to break into a run.  Yashiro waited until the last moment before sliding to the side, tripping the kid so he fell hard on the ground.  Yashiro’s leg came up and landed square in the kids back, knocking the wind out of him.  The flag was thrown, Yashiro had earned two points.  Five more points and he’d win.

 

The men were back in their corners, Kagome’s hands wringing in anticipation.  He wasn’t even breaking a sweat.  He’d likely win this round quickly.  She wondered what the final contestant would be like.  The flag was thrown again, and they were back in the center.  Yashiro wasn’t taking it easy this time around, moving quickly around Hitoyomi, punching him hard in the side.  The wind was knocked out of the contender, giving Yashiro an opening to kick him in the stomach once more, knocking him down. 

 

Three points for Yashiro, they went back to the sides of the ring.  One more hit and Yashiro would win this round.  The flag was thrown and Yashiro jumped high into the air, landing his foot right into Hitoyomi’s shoulder.  However, he grabbed Yashiro’s leg and threw him on the ground, knocking the wind out of Yashiro. 

 

Two point for Hitoyomi.  Yashiro only needed two more points to win, he walked back to his corner, catching his breath.  Kagome began to worry, he hadn’t gotten hit like that so far in the tournament.  He gave Kagome a weak smile, letting her know he had a plan.  The bell rang and they were back in the center, Yashiro going all out, throwing punches and kicks in Hitoyomi’s direction, not letting himself get snagged again.  He kept his movements fast, finally landing a hard punch in his stomach once more.  Hitoyomi responded by punching Yashiro hard in the stomach, both of them going to the ground, grabbing their abdomens.  The flag was thrown in, Yashiro being given two more points.  He had won the round.

 

Yashiro limped back to his corner, taking shallow breaths.  The ring doctor took a look at his stomach, shaking his head.

 

“It looks like you bruised a couple of ribs, but you should be okay,” the doctor said, pulling Yashiro’s shirt back down.  “You’re going to want plenty of ice on that.”

 

Yashiro nodded, grimacing.  He stepped out of the ring, giving Kagome a weak smile.  “Well, just one more round to go.”

 

Kagome pursed her lips.  “What if the next guy is harder to beat than this one?”

 

He shrugged.  “It was a pretty easy match, I don’t know how he got this far in the tournament to be honest.  Are you worried about me?”

 

“Of course I’m worried!  You could have broken a rib!” she practically cried, causing him to chuckle.

 

“Wouldn’t be the first time I broke a bone in these.  I broke my wrist last year, and the year before than I had several bruised ribs.  This is nothing.”

 

Kagome threw her hands up in frustration, walking away from him.  She could hear his laugh, irritating her all the more.  He had another hour before the final round. 

 

She went to the bathroom, staring at her reflection.  She didn’t know what she was doing.  If he won, she couldn’t really reject his marriage proposal. 

 

_I wouldn’t mind being married to him though, we’re practically married now,_ she thought to herself.  They had nights where they just read or did homework, playing footsie on the couch.  She would make him dinner nearly every evening, they’d do dishes together every night.  He would make her a bath more often than not, and if they didn’t fool around at night, he’d hold her until he fell asleep.  They would often have lunch together at the school, and he’d unload his burdens at the end of the day.

 

She smiled to herself, yeah, they were pretty much already married.  The only difference would be she’d have a ring on her finger.  She thought about how she’d get to wake up to him every morning, something that she wouldn’t really mind.  They fought, like any other couple, and they laughed more than they fought.  He did little things to show he cared, such as buying her flowers every week, holding her hand when they were in public.  He would kiss her goodbye every morning and kiss her when he got home.  He confided in her more each day, something that she appreciated.

 

She was beginning to realize all the little things he did for her, making her smile giddier with each moment.  Her chest filled with warmth, thinking of the ways he showed he loved her.  She washed her hands and left the bathroom, seeing Yashiro waiting for her, a grin on his face.

 

“What are you smiling about?” she asked him, seeing that he was holding his stomach.  She was wondering how much pain he was in.

 

“I saw who my contender is for the final round.  He’s going to be easy to beat.  I hope you have a ring in mind,” he said with a wink.  She felt her face turn bright red.

 

“So you think, you’re hurt pretty bad,” she told him, he shrugged.

 

“The final round has to be a knock out, not point driven.  So when one of us can’t get up, the round is over.  So I’ll either be engaged or I’ll be unconscious,” he told her, causing her face to pale.

 

“I don’t want you unconscious!” she half yelled, causing him to smile.

 

“So you want me engaged?” he said, placing a soft peck on her lips.  “I’d prefer to be engaged, but we’ll see what happens.”

She wanted to be angry at him, but he was being light hearted about the entire thing.  The thought of losing wasn’t even crossing his mind, or so she could deduct.  Thirty minutes until the next round, they walked to the ring where he was going to compete, seeing that it was a larger ring than he was initially fighting in.  He grabbed an ice pack from a cooler and Kagome could see that his stomach was solidly black and blue, making her heart sink.  If he got punched in the stomach, he would probably be out of the round.  She saw that he had a little bruising on the side of his face, and she knew that the day before he had bruises on his arms and legs.  He was in rough shape, but he kept his chin up, determined to win the tournament.

 

She saw the other contender on the other side of the ring, also icing his last injuries.  He was taller than Yashiro, but not by much.  Half of his face was swollen and bruised as he held an icepack to it.  She saw he was also holding an icepack to his abdomen, something that didn’t go unnoticed by Yashiro.  The men were staring each other down from either side of the ring, each trying to get a feel.  Kagome could feel the chill in the air as the men glared at one another. 

 

“Have you fought him before?” Kagome asked, seeing that Yashiro’s face grew dark.

 

“No, but I’ve heard of him.  He likes to fight dirty.”

 

Kagome felt herself grow cold, thinking of how Yashiro would handle this round.  She didn’t know if she wanted him to win or to lose, but she knew she didn’t want Yashiro getting hurt.

 

“Well, fight your best,” Kagome told him.  He gave her half a smile, reaching over to peck her lips. 

 

“We’re going ring shopping after this,” he whispered to her.  “I want to get the ring on your finger before you change your mind.”

 

She blushed, causing him to have a large grin on his face.  Their time for rest was up, Yashiro put the ice pack back in the cooler and stepped up to the ring. 

 

“Welcome to the final round of the Tokyo Kung Fu Tournament!  Sparring Event!  In this corner, the champion for the last two years, Yashiro Nagasaki!  And in this corner, we have a first timer, first year in college, Yuki Tendo!”

 

Yuki raised his fists into the air, hearing the crowd cheer.  Yashiro raised one fist in the air, walking around the ring, hearing more cheers.  Kagome stood on the sideline, wringing her hands together, nervous for what was about to come next. 

 

“Gentlemen, get into your corners,” she heard the referee say.  Both men retreated to their corners, rubbing their knuckles, ready to spar.  The referee stood in the center of the ring, a white flag in his hand.  “Ready!  FIGHT!” he yelled, throwing the flag down.  Both men were lightning fast, but thankfully, Yashiro was a pinch faster.  Each man dodged the attacks the other threw.  There were no points in this, each round was three minutes, and whomever was knocked out would lose.  Kagome watched anxiously, worried that Yashiro would get hurt. 

 

The first punch landed on Yuki’s cheek, knocking him back.  Yashiro gave him a dark smile, jumping back to avoid the coming blow.  The fist seemed to only irritate Yuki, causing him to lunge at Yashiro, fists and feet flying.  Yashiro avoided him easily, doing flips and jumps to avoid the attacks.  Kagome was unaware of just how athletic Yashiro was, realizing that he was truly gifted in fighting. 

 

Suddenly, Yuki hit Yashiro in the stomach, causing Yashiro to fall to the ground.

 

“One!”

 

Yashiro looked up to see Kagome’s worried face.  He was in incredible pain, feeling like he may have cracked a rib now. 

 

“Two!”

 

_Get up!_ Yashiro internally yelled at himself.  Barely able to get back on his feet.  The second he was upright, Yuki took a punch at Yashiro’s face, knocking him back, but not knocking him down.

 

Yashiro was able to dodge the next attack, leaving a heavy kick in Yuki’s stomach.  Yuki fell to his knees, but was back on his feet quickly, jumping back to avoid Yashiro’s kick.  Yashiro lunged for Yuki, tackling him hard to knock him down.  Kagome could hear the loud “thud” from the other side of the ring when Yashiro made impact, knocking the wind out of Yuki.

 

Yuki began to beat on Yashiro’s back, causing the referee to throw the flag to break up the altercation.

 

The whistle sounded and the first round was over.  Yashiro walked back to this corner, moving his arms to stretch his shoulders.  He gave Kagome a smile, letting her know he was alright.  However, she could see the pain on his face, she didn’t think he could last much longer.  He had a permanent grimace on his face, his eyes reflecting the pain he was in.

 

The minute passed quickly, the whistle sounding and round two began, the men jumping towards the center at incredible speed.  Legs and fists were flying, each unable to land a hit on each other.  Kagome was on the edge of her seat, watching intently.  She didn’t notice the foreboding figure appear behind her, nor did she notice that he leaned in close to her until he whispered in her ear.

 

 

“Stay away from Yashiro, or you’ll regret it,” the voice said.  It was deep and cold, sending chills up Kagome’s spine.  She quickly turned to see who said it, but he was quick, lost in the crowd.  She shrugged, going back to the fight, witnessing Yuki landing a punch on Yashiro’s shoulder.

 

He cried out, jumping back, holding his arm.  It hung limp on his side, making Kagome realize that he may have dislocated it.  The pain was evident on his face, but he wasn’t giving up.  He jumped towards Yuki, landing a kick on his side.  Yuki flew a few feet before landing on the ground, the wind knocked out of him.

 

“One!”

 

Yashiro walked back to his corner, rubbing his shoulder.  He could hear Yuki struggle to get up.

 

“Two!”

 

He began to smile, hoping that he finally won.  He turned to see Yuki trying to push himself up, but struggling to get back to his feet.  He was on his hands and knees, gasping for breath.

 

“Three!”

 

Kagome felt herself grow nervous, did he win?

 

“Four!”

 

Yashiro turned to look at Kagome, a smug smile on his lips.

 

“And he’s up, folks!  The round continues!”

 

Yashiro’s eyes went wide with shock when he turned to see Yuki standing up, his hand on his side.  Yashiro’s face turned from surprise to determination, lunging towards Yuki.  Yuki dodged Yashiro, grabbing his hair and pulling it towards him.  Yashiro cried out as he was thrust back, Yuki’s leg making contact with his back. 

 

Yashiro was knocked to the ground, hearing the whistle.

 

“Unsportsmanlike conduct!  Back to your corner!” she heard the referee yell at Yuki, who threw up his hands and walked back to his corner.  Yashiro was up a moment later, but she could see he was rough for wear.  He limped back to his corner, unable to hide the unbearable pain.  She didn’t think he could last much longer.

 

Yashiro gave the referee the thumbs up and the whistle was blown shortly after, the two men rushing towards the center once more.  Yashiro’s arm was still hanging limp on his side, wondering what kind of hospital visit would be in his future.  Yuki was able to land a few light punches on his limp arm, but Yashiro’s other arm was able to land punches on Yuki.  The round was close, each man showing fatigue and pain.  Each one slowing down as the rounds went.

 

In the fifth round, they were both breathing heavy and covered in sweat.  None of the rounds had lasted this long and every person in the stadium was watching closely.  Yashiro was doing one armed flips to get away from Yuki, his feet flying, attempting to land a punch on him, but Yuki was just too fast while Yashiro was in this much pain. 

 

Kagome watched with worry, wondering if he was going to be okay.  He was probably going to have to take an ice bath tonight, if he would be able to move in the next couple days at all.  Yuki had a few moments of fighting dirty, but overall the referee hadn’t been able to catch it. 

 

Suddenly, Kagome saw Yuki land a kick right to Yashiro’s face, sending him flying to the other side of the ring.  Kagome’s hands covered her face, her heart sinking.

 

“One!”

 

Yashiro looked up to see Kagome’s worried face, feeling his heart sink.  He didn’t know if he would be able to get up.

 

“Two!”

 

He moved his arm to push himself up, but the ring was spinning before him.  He was so dizzy, but he needed to win this.

 

“Three!”

 

He fell down again, feeling himself begin to slowly lose consciousness.  He tried to push himself up, he had to win this.

 

“Four!”

 

He didn’t want Kagome to go back to the feudal era.  He wanted her here, with him.  He wanted her to marry him and forget about Inuyasha.

 

“Five!”

 

He felt tears well up in his eyes from the pain of potentially losing Kagome.  He could deal with the broken ribs and bruised body, but losing Kagome would surely kill him.

 

“Six!”

 

He fell down again, his body weak.  No matter what he told himself, his body had reached its limit.  He was no match for the teenager who seemed nearly invincible before him.

 

“Seven!”

 

He felt his vision begin to go black and back to normality.  He looked to see Kagome’s worried face, she was yelling at him, but he couldn’t hear what she was saying.  He reached his good hand out to her, hoping to touch her before she’d disappear.

 

“Eight!”

 

He moved his arm to push himself up again, his arm shaking from holding his body weight.  He was on his knees now, able to stay in that position.  He tried to sit back on his heels, but fell down again.

 

“Nine!”

 

He couldn’t do it.  He needed this win, he need her near him.  He needed to win this tournament.  He tried one more time to get to his feet, but his vision went black, falling onto the mat.

 

“Ten!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woo! I wrote this while my flight was delayed. I couldn't get the idea out of my head and I wrote this over the court of three hours. Crazy y'all! 
> 
> I hope you enjoy this chapter, I've got the next one started and will work on it on my flight back home :)
> 
> Thank you for all the comments! You all are FANTASTIC! 
> 
> Xoxo


	20. Fights and Ties

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kagome and Yashiro get into it again... and Kagome tries some new stuff

Kagome sat next to Yashiro in the hospital bed, waiting for the doctor to come back with the x-rays.  They suspected a concussion and cracked ribs, it was already confirmed he had a dislocated shoulder and severe bruising around his body.  However, though, Kagome suspected that his pride was hurt the most.  He avoided looking at her and only spoke in quiet tones when she asked him questions.  He wasn’t his usual light-hearted self, something that was starting to drag Kagome down.

 

“Mr. Nagasaki, good news, you don’t have any cracked ribs, but they’re very bruised up.  You have a mild concussion, you should be fine in a couple of days.  The ribs will take a couple of weeks to heal, and your shoulder is going to hurt for a few days once we put it back in place.”

 

“Thank you,” Yashiro said quietly.  “Can I go home?”

 

“Yes, we’ll get you some pain medication to deal with the bruising and the shoulder.  We can relocate the shoulder now if you want, but it’s going to be painful without medication,” the doctor warned.

 

Yashiro shrugged.  “It’s not the first time, just get it over with.”  He put a folded up washcloth between his teeth as Kagome watched the doctor grab his arm, moving it with a quick jerking motion as Yashiro’s eyes bugged out of his head, biting back a scream as she heard a loud POP!  He moved his arm slowly, wincing in pain as he moved it around again. 

 

He took the washcloth out of his mouth and set it on the crisp bedding, sighing.  “Thanks,” he said softly.

 

“No problem, we’ll get you those pain meds and you can be on your way.  I’m guessing your wife will be taking you home?” the doctor asked, looking at Kagome.

 

“Oh, she’s not my wife,” Yashiro mumbled, Kagome waived her hands.

 

“I’ll take him home, don’t worry!” she said, feeling embarrassed. The doctor looked at the two, shrugging and leaving the room. 

 

Kagome looked at Yashiro, who was still avoiding her gaze.  “Why are you so down?” Kagome asked.  “You got second place.”

 

He gave her a dirty look.  “Why the hell do you think?”

 

She lightly slapped his arm, causing him to wince in pain.  “You don’t have to be smart with me,” she muttered, crossing her legs.  He looked at her, sighing.

 

“I just don’t understand why you won’t marry me.  Am I really that horrible of a person?”

 

She felt her shoulders slump.  The defeat in his voice was evident, and when she turned to look at him, he looked really down.  His face had lost that usual giddiness, his shoulders were slumped, his gaze was averted from hers.  She sighed, reaching out to hold his hand.

 

“You know that’s not it,” she told him, squeezing his hand gently.  “I’m just not really ready for marriage yet.”

 

“Because you’re still hung up on your ex,” he accused, taking his hand out of hers.  “Marry me or go see him, why did those have to be the options?  If it was marry me or sleep on the couch, I wouldn’t be such a sourpuss.  But no, you leave it up to me.  What kind of bullshit is that?”

 

Kagome pursed her lips together.  “You were pushing me to go see him a few months ago!” she argued, but he gave her a sideways glance.

 

“Because I didn’t want to be the reason you didn’t see him.  I thought we were past this, I thought you made your choice.  I had no idea you were still considering going there.”

 

He caught her off guard to say the least.  She felt her shoulders slump in defeat.  She could see why he was upset with her.  She was still holding onto hope, just biding her time, just like Inuyasha had done to her and Kikyo.  Now she was doing the same thing to Yashiro, and he was bitter.

 

“Maybe we’ll get married after I return from the feudal era,” she reasoned, but he scoffed at her.

 

“I doubt it.  You’ll be too broken up to even look at me for a while.”

 

“That’s not true!” she yelled back in defense, but her heart sunk, she knew he was probably right.

 

“Bullshit,” he scoffed.  “I call bullshit.  I’m always going to compete with him, and I’m nothing more than his replacement to you.  I could live with that, but I can’t live with you pitying me nonstop.  I see how you look at me with those doe eyes.  You look at me and you feel sorry for me.  Don’t.  I was fine before you came along, I don’t want or need your pity.  I survived my life, I don’t want you thinking I’m some helpless little boy.”

 

“That’s not true at all!  I’ve never thought that!” she cried.

 

“That’s a fucking lie.  I see how you look at me, and I know when you’re thinking of him.  Every time I touch you, you’re thinking of him.  Don’t even try to deny it.”

 

Kagome felt tears sting her eyes.  He was right, she had hoped he hadn’t noticed, but he had.  “You don’t understand…” she began to explain, but he cut her off.

 

“I do understand, but it still pisses me off,” he retorted.  “And apparently you’ll only marry me if I earn it.”

 

“Excuse me?!” she yelled.

 

“You heard me.  Apparently I’m not good enough to marry.  If you really wanted to marry me, you wouldn’t have put me up to winning that goddamn tournament.  You wonder why I let myself get in such bad shape?  To prove a fucking point.  You wouldn’t have married me, you would have played some little trick to get out of it.”  He held his gaze, his face angry.  She felt her cheeks burn, but she didn’t stand down.  “If you loved me like you say you do, if you loved me like I love you, marrying me wouldn’t be such a fucking fight.”

 

She huffed, grabbing her bag and storming out of the hospital room.

 

“Where are you going!?” he yelled.

 

“I’m going home!” she yelled back.  “You can take care of yourself, remember?”

 

She walked to the train station in a huff, kicking a rock in front of her in pure anger.  He made her so angry.  How dare he accuse her of pitying him?  Of accusing her of thinking of Inuyasha in their most intimate moments?

 

_But he’s right,_ her mind reasoned with her.  She hated to admit it, but he was.  She was constantly comparing him to Inuyasha, and she had even said Inuyasha’s name in their most intimate moment.  She had a hard time separating the two of them in her mind, something she knew he resented.  She was in love with him, she wanted to be with him, but she knew that, eventually, she would have to see Inuyasha again and give him closure, as well as herself. 

 

She felt tears sting her eyes as she waited for the train.  She hated fighting with Yashiro.  He was right in so many ways, and she still felt she wasn’t fair to him.  She had been trying to move on, but she never got the closure she needed from Inuyasha.  Maybe going back to the feudal era would help her get over Inuyasha so she could move on and live happily ever after with Yashiro.

 

_If you loved me like I love you, marriage wouldn’t be such a fucking fight._  

 

His words echoed in her mind.  She did love him.  If she didn’t, she wouldn’t be crying on the train right now.  She wouldn’t be going back to their apartment, and she wouldn’t be considering apologizing to him.  She was going to let him cool off for a while, just as she needed to cool off.  Maybe she should go to her mother’s house tonight…

 

She shook her head.  She wasn’t going to be chased out of her own apartment because he was an insensitive asshole right now.  She walked the short distance to their apartment, silent tears falling down her face.  When she walked into the empty apartment, the smell of pine and musk hit her like a brick wall.  She walked over to the shrine and pulled out the robe of the fire rat, inhaling Inuyasha’s scent deeply.  She began to sob into the robe, falling to her knees. 

 

She was being so unfair to Yashiro, she felt like she was having this internal fight nonstop since she met him.  He was so patient, but his patience was wearing thin.  She didn’t want to get married right now, she knew that, but she didn’t want to be without him either.  She missed Inuyasha more than she wanted to admit, wishing he were there with him.  She wanted to kiss him one more time, to let him know that she never stopped loving him.

 

She knew that Yashiro was the reincarnation of Inuyasha and that their souls have been seeking each other out, there was no other explanation.  Yet she kept pushing him away, taunting him with her emotions.  She was dangling herself in front of Yashiro, promising more, but staying just enough out of reach where he couldn’t touch her.

 

She didn’t know how long she stayed on the floor like that, but before long, she heard the door open behind her.  She turned to see Yashiro walk in the door, holding a large bag of ice.  They had an automatic ice maker, but considering his injuries, he was likely going to take a literal ice bath tonight to ease the bruising on his body.  He stared at her for a moment, his face ashen.  She wanted to reach out to him and hold him, but that wouldn’t be right either.  He walked passed her, going into the bathroom.  A moment later she heard the water running, and she knew she needed to talk to him.

 

She grabbed the ice out of the freezer and walked in, seeing him struggle with the sling his arm was in.  He was still wearing the Kung Fu uniform, cursing at himself for being so helpless.

 

“Here,” she said, moving to help him move the sling.  He remained silent as she unbuttoned his shirt, helping him slide it off his bruised body.  His entire torso was covered in black and blue bruises.  She bit her lip, wanting to cry all over again.  He was seriously injured, but not as injured as his heart was.  The pain his body was feeling was nothing compared to the pain she had caused him. 

 

“Thanks,” he mumbled, turning off the cold water.  She dumped the ice into the water, filling the tub almost completely with the ice.  She helped him get out of his pants, causing her to bite back a sob as she saw how bruised his legs were.  He was nearly completely black and blue.  His right eye was nearly swollen shut from the bruise, his face pretty battered up.  She left his hair in the high pony tail, helping him step into the tub.  He gasped at the shock, settling himself down into the bath.  He began to shiver a moment later, avoiding her gaze.

 

“I’m sorry Yashiro,” she said, grabbing a wash cloth and lightly rubbing his back, careful of his shoulder.  “You deserve someone better than me.”

 

He remained silent, refusing to answer her. 

 

“I do love you, and I do care about you.  Most of all, I want to be with you, but marriage is a big step I’m just afraid to take right now.”

 

She saw the corner of his mouth twitch, not knowing if it was irritation or hurt emotions.  She continued to wash his back, seeing him shiver. 

 

“I’m sorry that I’ve been so insensitive to your feelings.  I shouldn’t have made that a condition of you winning, that wasn’t fair to you.  You wouldn’t have been hurt so badly if I hadn’t of made that deal.”  She felt a sob rise in her throat.  “You’re hurt because of me,” she cried softly. 

 

He turned to look at her, his features softening upon seeing her tears.  His hand reached up to touch her face.  “I’m hurt because of my pride, you had nothing to do with it,” he told her, his voice soft.  “I like to rush into things head first, you’re a little more cautious, I get it.  I’ll stop asking.”

 

She shook her head.  “I rush into things too, but this is something huge, I don’t want to rush into a marriage.”

 

He nodded his head, trying to hide his disappointment.  After about ten more minutes, he got out of the bath, Kagome helping him get up.  She helped him put his arm back in the sling and she put a robe over his shoulders to warm him up.  She drained the tub, following him to the bedroom.  He walked with a slow gait, obviously in pain.  He laid down on the bed, letting out a deep sigh.  He was still shivering from the ice bath, but it appeared that his swelling had gone down. 

 

“Have you taken any pain meds?” she asked him.  He shook his head, prompting her to get him a glass of water and the pills.  She returned, watching him struggle to sit up.  He took the pills and laid back down, letting out a sigh.

 

“So when are you going back to the feudal era?” he asked her, avoiding her gaze.  His voice was emotionless, causing her to heart to sink once more.

 

“Once you’re in better shape.  Probably in a couple weeks,” she said, pulling the blankets over his bruised body.  “Don’t worry about it, you’ll know when I go.”

 

He avoided her gaze, staring out the bedroom window.  Kagome’s hand moved the hair out of his face, lightly touching the width of his forehead.  “I’d rather you just go tonight.”

 

Her eyebrows shot up in surprise.  “What?”

 

He turned to look at her, pain evident on his face.  “I’d rather you get it over with so we can stop playing this cat and mouse game.”

 

She felt anger begin to rise in her chest.  “What is your problem?  You’ve been picking a fight with me all night!”

 

His eyes widened, turning his face to look back out the window.  “If I’m going to lose you, I’d rather just rip off the band-aid.”

 

“You’re not going to lose me,” she stated.

 

He turned to look at her.  “How do you know that?” he asked her quietly, daring her to answer.

 

“Seeing Inuyasha would be nothing more than getting closure for both of us.  I know he’s waiting for me, you said so yourself.  He knows I’ll only be there for three days tops.  We would probably kiss and tell each other a final goodbye that we didn’t get and I’d return.  I’ll be sad when I return,” she admitted, feeling tears sting her eyes once more.  “But my life is here, with you.  My biggest regret is never telling him I loved him, something that I refuse to make with you.  I want to move on too, you know.”

 

She reached out and squeezed his hand.  He looked up at her face, which he could see the conflicting emotions on her face. 

 

“Do you think I enjoy comparing the two of you?  I constantly feel guilty, being in love with two men at the same time.  I feel like I’m leading you on non stop, dangling myself in front of you like a toy you can’t quite reach.  I hate that feeling,” she told him, tears running down her face.  “I’m really in love with you, Yashiro, I don’t want to lose you too.”

 

He sat up and cupped her face, brushing his lips against hers tenderly. 

 

“That’s all I wanted to hear,” he whispered.  “I just wanted to know that you loved me back.”

 

“Of course I do, you dummy,” she chuckled through the tears.  “I wouldn’t be so infuriated with you if I didn’t.”  He smiled, kissing her once more. 

 

After a moment, the kiss broke, his hand moving down her neck to tug at her shirt. 

 

“You have got to be kidding,” she remarked, wanting to laugh.  “With as much pain as you’re in, you want to do that?”

 

He kissed her, a hunger in his kiss that wasn’t there a moment ago.  His fingers tangled in her hair as he held her face to his.  He pulled her to him, wincing in pain as he did.

 

“Yashiro… not tonight,” she decided, gently pushing him onto the mattress.  “When you’re feeling better we’ll… do that…”

 

He groaned, huffing in disappointment.  “Yeah, I guess.”

 

She tucked him in and went into the kitchen to get herself a drink of water.  She had to hand it to him, after a day like today and he still had the urge to get frisky, she couldn’t help but giggle.  When she went back into the bedroom, he was sound asleep, lightly snoring.  She smiled, changing into her pajamas and climbing in next to him. 

 

The next few days went by agonizingly slow.  Yashiro was unable to get out of bed the next day except to use the bathroom.  His bruises darkened overnight so Kagome was constantly switching out ice packs on his bruises while he lay in bed with extensive pain killers. 

 

She made him soup and brought it to him in bed, helping him eat.  His bruised ribs made his breathing haggard, but he didn’t complain once.  He groaned a little bit, but no actual complaints. 

 

On the fourth day he was able to walk around somewhat normally again, forcing himself to move around.  Kagome helped him in the bath again, washing his back gently.  His arm was able to move again, and while he should have kept it in the sling, he insisted on moving it around to get the flexibility back.  He told her that it wasn’t the first time his shoulder was dislocated, it probably won’t be the last.  When Kagome knew that he was able to take care of himself, for the most part, she went back to work on the fifth day after the tournament.

 

However, when she got to work, she was called into her boss’s office.

 

“Kagome, have a seat,” her boss had told her.  He was an older gentleman, with a bald head and wearing a grey sweater.  Kagome took a seat in the dusty office filled with books.  She had always enjoyed sitting in his office.

 

“I’m sorry I had to call in the last few days, my boyfriend was in a tournament and was badly injured---,” she began to say, but he raised his hand.

 

“Kagome, there’s a rumor going around that you’ve been stealing books from the store,” he told her.  Kagome’s eyebrows raised in surprise.

 

“I beg your pardon?”  she said, surprised.  “I’ve never stolen anything in my life.”

 

“Kagome, these are serious accusations.  And the last time you worked, the money drawer was short nearly a hundred dollars.”

 

Her eyes went wide with surprise.  “What?!”

 

“Kagome, we’re going to have to let you go.  We’ll take the hundred dollars out of your last paycheck and we won’t file any criminal charges, but if you come in here again we’ll be forced to take legal action.”

 

Kagome stood up and stormed out of the bookshop.  She couldn’t believe the gall!  She had never stolen anything in her life, and now she was out a job that she loved.  She walked the short distance back to her apartment to find Yashiro sitting on the couch reading a book.

 

“Did you forget something?” Yashiro asked, concern evident in his voice when he saw her angry look.

 

“I just got fired!” she exclaimed.  His eyes went wide with surprise.  “They said I was stealing money and books.  Apparently a hundred dollars went missing and they’re taking it out of my last paycheck to avoid criminal charges!  How much bullshit is that?!”

 

She plopped down next to Yashiro on the couch, her arms crossed and tears stinging her eyes.  “I’ve never stolen anything in my life, and now I don’t have a job.  What am I going to do?”

 

Yashiro watched her, his features softening.  “They’re nuts if they think you stole anything.  I’m sure you could find another job easily.  You’re a hard little worker, you’ll be fine.”  He put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her to his chest, where she wrapped her arms around his waist, letting out a stifled sob.  “You’ll be fine, don’t worry about the rent for now.”

 

“Oh my god!” she half yelled, sitting up abruptly.  “I completely forgot that I owe you rent!  What am I going to do?”

 

He pulled her back to his chest, “I said don’t worry about it, didn’t I?  I’ll take care of you.  Don’t worry.”

 

They sat for the rest of the evening, Kagome trying to ignore the fact that she had just lost her job.  Yashiro holding her close, enjoying her being with him. 

  
Later in the evening, they were watching a movie, she was curled up on the couch under a blanket with Yashiro.  Her arms were wrapped around his waist and his arm was draped over her shoulder.  She was drunk on his scent, enjoying the closeness she was experiencing.  It had been a trying day to say the least, bothering her about the job.  She wondered if she should tell Yashiro about the rumor about Akane wanting to make her life hell, or about the threat she got at the Kung Fu tournament.  She figured the two events were related, and while thinking about it, maybe her job was related too…

 

She shook her head and buried herself deeper into Yashiro, _The job was just a fluke, there’s no way that Akane got me fired from my job._

 

The more she thought about it though, the more she began to think that maybe, just maybe, Akane was behind it.  She would call Sachiko tomorrow and find out if she had heard anything else.

 

She remembered her conversation with Sachiko about spicing things up with Yashiro.  His appetite was back in full swing since she surprised him that one day, but she was afraid of things getting stale again.  Sachiko had suggested doing a bit of bondage.  Kagome looked up at Yashrio, wondering.  He was handsome to say the least, with kind eyes mismatched with a hard set mouth.  She couldn’t imagine him doing bondage.  To her, bondage consisted of masters and slaves, with the master being abusive and the submissive being abused.  She wondered where he was in that set up.

 

“What are you blushing about?” Yashiro asked her, looking down at Kagome.  Her cheeks turned a shade redder.

 

“You’d tease me if I told you,” she said, burying her face in his chest.  He chuckled.

 

“Probably, but you should tell me anyway,” he said, lightly shaking her shoulders.  “What’s on your mind?”

 

“I was curious about bondage…” she whispered, hoping he didn’t hear her.

 

“What do you want to know?” he asked, excitement evident in his voice. 

 

He could see that she was turning a dark red.  “I imagine it to be really sadistic… but I guess that’s not the case?”

 

He laughed, lifting her chin to his face so they were nose to nose.  “No, that’s not the case at all.  In fact, it’s quite the opposite.”

 

Her eyebrows rose in surprise.  “Oh?”

 

He let go of her chin and sat back.  “Bondage is all about trust and pushing limits.  You can’t perform bondage with a stranger, or if you do, you’re putting a lot of trust into a stranger,” he began to tell her.  “It’s trusting yourself to tell your partner when to go and when to stop, and it’s trusting your partner to follow your instructions.  You usually have a dominator, or a dom, and a submissive, or a sub.  But in reality, in a healthy bondage relationship, the sub has more power than the dom.”

 

“I don’t get it,” she said, her head turning to the side.

 

“The dominant is the one performing most of the acts… but only by the will of the sub.  If a dom doesn’t listen to the sub, he’s a terrible dom.  For instance…” he said, grabbing her wrists and closing the small distance between them.  “If you said to let you go,” he said, releasing her wrists, “a good dom would let you go.”

 

“So that fifty shades of grey book…” she mentioned, only to see his nose crinkle in disgust.

 

“That book and movie is a terrible example of bondage.  I mean, yeah, some of it is there, but he was a terrible partner to be with.  You have to listen to your partner, and find out what their limits are, and respect those limits.  Part of it is pushing yourself past the limits for pleasure… but not breaking those limits, you get what I mean?”

 

“I think so… so what would beginner bondage be like?” she asked him.  He grinned, taking her hand in his.

 

“Come on… let’s try bondage 101.”

 

She followed him into the bedroom, where he took off his shirt.  She followed suit, removing her clothing as well.  She stood before him in her underwear and he stood before her in his boxers.  He leaned forward and kissed her, pulling her flush to him.  She felt the heat rise in her stomach, enjoying the sensation.

 

“First,” he said, letting his hands wander down her side, one hand moving to her back to unclip her bra.  “What are you comfortable with?”

 

He kissed her neck as she thought of what she would be comfortable with.  “I’m not sure…” He pulled her bra off, tossing it to the floor as he kissed down her neck.  His hands moved up her sides to squeeze her breasts, feeling the soft flesh beneath his fingers.

 

“Well there’s light biting…” he whispered, lightly nipping at her shoulder. 

 

“I’m okay with that…” she sighed, feeling the heat take over her body. 

 

“There’s spanking,” he whispered as he moved his way down her chest, kneeling before her so his face was against her stomach.  His hand moved to grab her ass, squeezing hard.  She let out a surprised gasp as he slapped it hard, the stinging sensation from his hand feeling exhilarating.

 

“We can try that…” she said quietly as his thumbs hooked into the side of her panties, pulling them down agonizingly slow over her hips and down her legs. 

 

“There’s teasing, of course,” he whispered, kissing down her stomach.  He reached the top of her hairline, leaving a trail of kisses across her midriff.  “The pain is supposed to be minimal, exemplifying your sensitivity to physical contact…”

 

Her breath was shaky, feeling nervous as his hands explored her body once more.  He slowly kissed his way up her body, making his way back to his feet as his hands moved up her sides once more.  His mouth found hers and kissed her hungrily.  She could feel his erection through the thin boxers, poking her in the stomach. 

 

“How do you feel about light slapping?” he whispered against her lips, his hand on her breast, pulling at her nipple.

 

“My face?” she asked, confused.

 

“No… your ass, your breasts… your legs…” he mumbled, nipping at her neck again.  

 

“Oh, that’s fine,” she said, not really sure where he was going with the questions.

 

“How do you feel about being tied up?” he asked her, rolling her nipples between his fingers. She let out a soft moan, exposing her neck further to him.

 

She felt her nerves take over a little bit, but she decided to put on brave front.  “You can tie me up if you want to,” she whispered.

 

She could feel him smile against her neck.  “I’ve been dreaming of it since we’ve met,” he confessed.  His hands fully cupped her breasts, massaging them roughly, causing another moan to escape her lips.  “I’m going to tease you first, and when you beg me to take you, I will… One more thing, hair pulling?”

 

“I’ve never had my hair pulled… but okay…”

 

She wasn’t sure what he meant by that, but he suddenly let her go, going to his dresser.  He pulled out a silk tie, giving her a wolfish grin.

 

“Lay down on the bed,” he told her, his voice monotone.  She did as she was told, laying down, feeling bashful.  “Put your hands above your head.”

 

She did as she was told, and a moment later he was tying the tie around her wrists, keeping them together, then tying them to his headboard.  He stood by the side of the bed, letting his boxers drop to the floor.  She could see he was excited, causing a blush to take over her face.  She tried to move her hands, but he had the knot pretty tight, trapping her. 

 

This was kind of exciting for her, wondering what he was going to do.  She saw him walk over to her nightstand, pulling out the iRabbit, causing her to blush further. 

 

He was on the bed a moment later, the toy to Kagome’s side.  He leaned in and kissed her gently, his lips refusing to part from hers.  “If it gets too intense or you want to stop, just say ‘Red,’ alright?”

 

She nodded, causing him to smile.  He kissed her softly, moving down to kiss her neck once more.  He bit down on her collar bone, his tongue trailing down her body until he reached her breast.  He took her nipple into his mouth, sucking hard, causing a moan to escape her lips.  His hand moved to massage her other breast, pulling on her nipple, causing her to cry out.  He kissed down her body, lightly nipping as he went, teasing her with each passing moment.  He reached her hip, his nails lightly tracing her skin, causing goosebumps to rise on her flesh. 

 

He kissed the inside of her thigh, lightly nipping at the skin beneath his lips.  He moved up to find her center, letting his tongue dart out and taste the sweet nectar.

 

“Oh Kagome… you’re dripping wet…” he moaned, burying his face between her legs, causing her to cry out once more.  His tongue darted out to taste her, teasing the bundle of nerves beneath him, causing her to cry out more.  She tried to move her arms, but they were trapped in the silk tie.  He could hear her struggle to get free, causing him to smile against her center.

 

“Yashiro,” she gasped, feeling her body clench up.  He slid a finger inside of her, feeling her clench around him immediately.  He continued to lick her center, feeling her come close to release.  She felt her body clench up, she was nearly there…

 

He pulled back, kissing up her body once more.  She arched her back against him, her legs wrapping around his torso, silently begging him to finish what he had started.  His hands moved to pin her legs down, giving her a wolfish grin.

 

“Not yet,” he whispered, leaning down to suck on the taut nipple beneath his fingers.  He roughly massaged her breasts, pulling at her nipples causing her to wriggle beneath him. 

 

“Yashiro, please,” she begged, moving her hips suggestively.  She _needed_ him more than she had ever needed him before. 

 

He reached up and untied the tie around the headboard, but left her wrists bound.  He lay next to her, forcefully pulling her wrists down, forcing her to sit up. 

 

“Suck my cock,” he told her, pulling her wrists so she fell onto his lap.  “If you want to finish, you have to suck my cock,” he demanded.  His hand reached to grab a handful of her hair, forcing her head onto his cock.  She opened her mouth and he forced her head down, feeling him at the back of her throat.  She was on her knees, her wrists bound and holding her up as she sucked, her tongue swirling around him.  He groaned, forcing her head farther down each time she bobbed, causing her to bite back a gag. 

 

His hand reached over and massaged her ass, feeling the soft flesh beneath his fingers.  Suddenly, he spanked her, her skin stinging.  She let out a soft gasp, not fully comprehending the situation.

 

“Don’t stop,” he commanded, shoving her head down again, slapping her ass.  She let out another moan as she took a considerable amount of his length into her mouth.  He groaned, lightly bucking his hips into her mouth as he fondled her soft flesh. 

 

His fingers slid down her ass to her entrance, slipping a finger inside of her.  She moaned loudly, slowly pulling him out of her mouth, but he shoved her head back down.  He slipped another finger inside of her, roughly fingering her, feeling her clench up once more.  She was dripping wet, her juices running down the insides of her thighs.  He couldn’t help but grin, she was enjoying this far more than she had enjoyed anything else they had done.  Her body reacted to his touch far more like this, making him want to take her right then, but wanting to savor the moment as he continued to taunt her.  He pulled his fingers out of her, hearing her whimper.

 

He pulled her hair up so he fell out of her mouth, allowing her to gasp for air.  Her pulled her to his mouth, kissing her hungrily, their tongues wrestling for dominance.  She moved to straddle him, trying to place him at her entrance, but he pushed her hips away.

 

“Nuh uh, not yet,” he told her, pulling her hair so her head was thrown back, exposing her throat to him.  He bit down at the base of her neck, sucking on the skin beneath his lips.  “How do you feel about some ass play?”

 

“What?” she asked, but he pulled her hair again, causing her to moan.  He could feel her juices on his legs, causing him to bite back a moan.  She would feel so good right now.

 

“Anal toys, do you want to try?” he gasped, kissing down her chest, holding her hair so he couldn’t move.  Her hands were in front of her, bound with the tie, fondling his cock as best as they could. 

 

“Never… done that…” she gasped, wishing he’d just fuck her already.  “Yashiro, please… just fuck me… please…”

 

He groaned, he loved when she talked dirty.  He threw her off of him, getting on his knees and pulling her ass towards him so she was on her knees.  Her hands were in front of her, barely supporting her as he slapped her ass once more. He squeezed the flesh, leaning down and biting down, sucking at the flesh beneath him.   “You have a great ass,” he told her, rubbing the reddened skin.  “I’d love to fuck it.”

 

She thrust her hips back into him, but he kept himself away from her entrance, his hand moving to rub her clit and her entrance.  “Yashiro… please… I need you…” she begged, letting out a loud moan as he inserted a finger inside her once more.  “I need you… inside me…”

 

He couldn’t hold out any longer, watching her move her hips, her body begging him to take her, her voice pleading with him, it almost made him come right there.  He grabbed her hips and thrust inside of her quickly, causing her to cry out.  He stayed inside of her, enjoying the feeling of her clenching his cock, refusing to release it. 

 

“How do you want me to fuck you, Kagome?”  he asked, lazily thrusting inside of her.  He could still tease her a little bit.  He rolled his hips into hers, admiring her backside as her hands were still helpless.  “Do you want me to go nice and slow?” He began to thrust slowly, painfully slow, delicate almost.  She let out a groan, moving her hips to thrust into him forcefully.  He moved to pull her hair, forcing her up so that her back was flush with his chest.  His hands moved to cup her breasts, grabbing them forcefully as he began to thrust inside of her.

 

“I want you to fuck my brains out,” she cried, her head thrown back onto his shoulder, exposing her throat to him.  “I don’t want to be able to walk for a week.”

 

He let out a chuckle, pulling at her nipples, rolling them between his fingers as he slowly thrust into her.  After a moment, he threw her back down so her face was in the pillow, grabbing her hips and thrusting into her as hard as he could.  She cried out, biting the pillow as she could feel him hitting a barrier deep inside, the pain feeling _so damn good._

 

He felt her clench around him, her body getting close to the edge.  He continued to thrust into her at a quickened pace, each thrust harder than the last, her voice growing hoarse from the screams that he created.  He could feel her clench around him tighter than he had ever felt her clench up, knowing that the orgasm she was about to feel would likely be the best orgasm of her life, causing him to bite back a loud moan. 

 

Her body built up an incredible pressure, clenching up tighter than she had ever felt.  He felt so damn good, her body reacting to his touch in a way she had never expected.  He continued to bottom her out, hitting her barrier, unable to match his pace any longer.

 

“Yashiro!” she cried as her body broke into convulsions, her entire body feeling like it was on fire.  Her juices were running down her legs as her body continued to shudder, an explosion of pleasure that caused her vision to temporarily black out.  Her voice was hoarse from the cries, riding out the waves of pleasure that seemed never ending as Yashiro continued to forcefully thrust inside of her.

 

“Kagome… I…Ah!” he cried out as he expelled his seed, feeling his vision black out for a moment too as his entire body convulsed.  When he finished, he stayed inside her for a moment, both of them limp and covered in sweat. 

 

He pulled out of her slowly, his cock almost feeling painful from the pounding he gave her.  She whimpered as he pulled out, collapsing face first on the bed.  He moved to the side and collapsed next to her, gasping for breath.  She moved her bound wrists up to his face, where he slowly untied the knot, freeing her wrists.  She rolled to her side, snuggling close to him.  He wrapped his arms around her, placing a kiss on her forehead that was tucked under his chin. 

 

“So… that was very light bondage,” he told her, kissing her hair.  “That was barely touching on bondage…”

 

“Damn,” she whispered, feeling her body reach a state of relaxation that she had never known existed.  Her entire body was completely limp, her legs were completely numb.  “I don’t think I can handle full blown BDSM…”

 

She lifted her face to his, where he kissed her tenderly on the lips.  His hand moved to tangle his fingers in her hair, deepening the kiss. 

 

“I love you Kagome,” he whispered against her lips.  “Ever since I met you, I’ve been so in love with you…”

 

“I know,” she whispered, kissing him. 

 

He knew she wasn’t going to say it back, he had expected it, but it didn’t hurt any less.  Her mind was still on Inuyasha, as much as he hated to admit it. 

 

“Come on, let’s take a bath,” he whispered, getting out of the bed.  She moved to swing her legs around the side of the bed, collapsing as soon as she stood up.  He chuckled, picking her up and carrying her to the bathroom.

 

“I guess you were able to make me unable to walk,” she said with surprise.

 

“Oh, I never doubted.”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had to spice up the lemons a bit... What can I say? Hope you enjoy! I"ve got a good start on the next chapter, I'm hoping it'll be posted by Sunday :)
> 
> Thank you all SO MUCH for the kudos and wonderful comments! You make my life so much better! 
> 
> XOXO


	21. Too Much Sake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Inuyasha visits the master of potions in an attempt to gain insight to Kagome's life, not liking what he sees.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's pretty short considering my other chapters, but I don't want this one to blend in with other chapters. I hope you enjoy it :)

Inuyasha paced the forest floor, running his fingers through his long silver hair, irritation evident in his disposition. 

 

“Miroku, she should have found it by now!” Inuyasha snapped, pacing in the forest by the well.  He had been glued to the well for months now, waiting for Kagome to return.  The sun was setting and the night of the new moon was upon them, his powers weakening.  Miroku stood opposite of Inuyasha, letting out a sigh of defeat.

 

“Maybe she’s afraid to come back for only a few days,” Miroku reasoned, his voice exasperated.  “It’s possible that it’s too painful for her to return for such a short time.”  Miroku was growing tired of this same argument nearly every day.  Ever since Inuyasha sealed away his robe and the inau, he had been impatiently waiting for Kagome to return. 

 

Inuyasha shook his head in dissent.  “No, she’d come back, even if it was just for a moment, I know she would,” he barked, _If I could see her for just a moment, I would.  She would too._

“Then maybe she’s moved on, Inuyasha,” Miroku told him, seeing the pain cross Inuyasha’s face.  The sun had set, with the late night chill coming upon them.  Inuyasha’s claws retracted and his eyes turned a dark blue.  His ears disappeared a moment later, his hair turning jet black.  “It’s been nearly six years now, she may have given up and found new love.  Can you really blame her for trying to move on?  Don’t you want her to be happy?”

 

Inuyasha sat down on the ground, his back to the well.  Miroku could see that he was holding back tears of frustration, his face showing mixed emotions.  “Of course I want her to be happy… I just wish she was happy… with me…”  Inuyasha hated when the new moon came, the loneliness he felt had magnified considerably.  He could shake off the loneliness when he was in his normal form, but his emotions ran high as a human.

 

“Maybe she’s found your reincarnation,” Miroku tried to reason, placing his hand on Inuyasha’s shoulder.  “I’m sure when you pass, your spirit will be longing for her, trying to find her in the next life.”

 

Inuyasha looked downcast, avoiding Miroku’s gaze.  “I hope that she found someone who treats her as she deserves… I just wish I knew what her life was like… then maybe I wouldn’t be so scared…”

 

Miroku felt compassion for his friend, sitting next to him to enjoy the view of the stars above them.  “Maybe there is a way to see her,” Miroku offered.  “Do you remember the master of potions?  Perhaps he can give you insight as to how she’s doing.  You won’t be able to make contact, but maybe you’ll be able to actually see her, just for a few minutes.”

 

Inuyasha looked up, staring at his friend in disbelief.  “Do you think the master of potions would be able to help us?”

 

Miroku shrugged.  “I mean, it’s a long shot, but so was leaving the inau with your robe.  I have heard that his magical brew can give insight. We can leave in the morning to see if the master of potions would be able to assist you.”

 

Inuyasha nodded, leaning back into the well, gazing at the stars above him.  He wondered if Kagome was staring at the stars he was gazing at.  He hoped that she could feel his love for him across time.  He wanted her to know that he would never stop loving her, in this life or his next life.  Most of all, he hoped that she was happy. 

 

The night was uneventful, passing in silence with no demons.  Miroku slept under the stars with his friend, offering him silent comfort throughout the night.  When the sun rose, Miroku and Inuyasha returned to Sango, telling her of their plan.  She had just given birth to their fourth child, another boy with eyes that matched his fathers.

 

“Be home soon,” Sango told Miroku, kissing him before they embarked on their journey.  “If Kagome appears, I’ll make sure that she stays long enough to see Inuyasha.  Don’t be gone long!”

 

This was a common promise that Sango made with the men when they were called away from the well.  The men left, traveling to the master of potions as quickly as they were able.  Inuyasha carried Miroku most of the way, making it to the master of potions in under a day.

 

The master of potions appearance did not change from the last time they saw him.  The smell of sake could be smelled from miles around, seeing the large pots of the special brew near the waterfall, the old sage sitting near the edge of the gorge with his brew.  His hair was long and silver, as well as his long beard.  His white robes were unstained and pure, with his large staff in his right hand, resting on his shoulder.  Inuyasha was afraid to approach, but Miroku had not come all this way for nothing.

 

“Master of potions, we meet again,” Miroku said, approaching the old sage.  The sage turned, seeing the half demon and the monk, giving them a gentle smile.  His cheeks were rosy from the sake he had drunk, giving a small hiccough.

 

“Ah, I was wondering when I would see the two of you again.  Dare I ask where the lovely young ladies are this time?”

 

Inuyasha felt haughty emotions arise, but Miroku moved his staff to keep Inuyasha from hitting the sage.  “My wife is at home with our children, but it is the other maiden we wish to discuss with you.  She has returned to her time five hundred years from now, and we are unsure of how she fairs.  Can you assist us in viewing her?  We just wish to see her, nothing more.”

 

The sage gave a large grin, taking a drink of sake.  “Aye, I can assist you in viewing her, but you may not like what you see.  Are you prepared to see the worst?”

 

Inuyasha stepped forward, his face determined.  “If I can see her again, I just wish to know that she’s safe.”

 

The sage nodded, grabbing a large jug and placing it before Inuyasha.  Inuyasha jumped so he stood on the edge of the jug, watching the setting sun from behind the trees.  He leapt up, jumping deep into the jug of the magical brew.

 

It took a few minutes of darkness, willing his eyes to adjust.  Soon, he realized that he was standing in a dark room that was strangely furnished.  He saw wooden floors with traditional art on the walls, with swords and other weapons on display.  He saw a large black box with glass on it against the wall, and a piece of furniture that looked like it was cushioned.  He looked and saw a small shrine in the corner, where he saw the inau in the center of the shrine.  He felt his heart sink, it appeared that Kagome had found the inau after all.  A moment later he heard a door open and Kagome came into view. 

 

“Kagome!” he yelled, running to her, but she walked right through him, walking to the shine and opening a drawer where she pulled out the robe of the fire rat.  He felt his heart break when she walked through him, remembering that she can’t see him.  She looked around cautiously, making sure that she was alone before pulling the robe on, wrapping herself tightly around the robe.  He saw her inhale deeply, with silent tears falling. 

 

“Inuyasha,” he heard her whisper, falling to her knees.  He felt his eyes sting with tears as well, seeing her so helpless wrapped in his robe.  He reached out to her, but his hand went right through her, causing him to curse under his breath.  She squeezed the robe around her tighter, more tears streaming down her face.  “Inuyasha I want to see you… but how can I go back?  It would be so cruel to taunt you for such a short time...”

 

Inuyasha wanted to reach out to tell her that it was crueler to not see him at all, but he understood her reasoning.  He now knew why she hadn’t returned to him, she was afraid.  Three days would fly by so quickly, and it would leave both of them broken.  He saw her slowly take off the robe and fold it neatly.  She placed it back into the shrine, letting out a deep sigh.  She wiped away the tears, taking a deep breath.  He watched her walk to the kitchen and make herself a cup of tea.  A moment later he heard the door open again, making him stop dead in his tracks.  The man that stood before him was the spitting image of him as a human, but his hair was pulled in a high pony tail and he was wearing large black frames on his face.  He was as tall as Inuyasha, wearing a red sweater and jeans. 

 

“Hey Kagome,” he heard him say, his voice a little smoother than Inuyasha’s gruff voice.  The strange man took off his shoes and his glasses, dropping a bag next to the door.  Inuyasha watched him walk over to Kagome, placing a kiss on her forehead while wrapping his arms around her waist.  Kagome snuggled into him with ease, inhaling his scent deeply.  Inuyasha couldn’t smell anything but the sake, infuriating him.  He wanted to know what this man smelled like, wanting to know if this man was his reincarnation.  The signs were there—Kagome’s ease, his looks.  Even his voice was similar, something that Kagome didn’t share with Kikyo, but he was sure that the man standing with Kagome was his reincarnation.  Inuyasha felt a little comfort… he had found her in his next life.

 

He saw the man move his hands to Kagome’s bottom, squeezing it gently as he kissed her.  Her arms moved around his neck, pulling him flush to her.  He thought he would be happy to see this, but he felt his anger rise.  She had been crying a moment ago, saying his name, and now she was all over the man in front of her. 

 

“Yashiro,” he heard her whisper. 

 

“Mmm?”

 

“I think I’m ready to go see Inuyasha,” Kagome stated, resting her forehead against Yashiro’s.  “I think he’s waited long enough to see me.” 

 

Yashiro’s arms tightened around Kagome, burying his face in her neck.  “Do you have to go?”

 

He saw Kagome’s face show an array of emotions.  “I can’t keep him waiting.  I’ve had the inau for months now, I can’t put it off any longer.”

 

“Please don’t go,” Inuyasha heard Yashiro beg, causing Inuyasha’s jealousy to rise up.  “You have me here, why do you need to see him?”

 

“Because I had her first!” Inuyasha screamed, but his comment went unnoticed by the two lovers before him.  “Kagome!  KAGOME!”

 

“Because I still love him,” Kagome whispered, pulling away from the man called Yashiro.   Inuyasha felt himself grow smug for a moment, until Yashiro’s hands cupped Kagome’s face, kissing her. 

 

“But you love me too, right?  You’ll come back to me?” Inuyasha heard the man plead.  Kagome nodded, giving him a gentle smile.

 

“Of course,” she whispered, closing her eyes, letting him kiss her once more.

 

Kagome leaned into his kiss, her hands resting on his chest, clenching the fabric beneath her fingers as the kiss deepened.  They moved so she was against the kitchen counter, his hands moving down to unbutton her shirt, causing Inuyasha to gape in horror.  Kagome’s hands moved to pull his sweater over his head, frantically kissing him once more.  She sat up on the counter, her legs wrapping around his waist to hold him close to her.  He pulled her shirt off, leaving her with just a bra and a short skirt that was hiked up to her hip.

 

He gaped at her bare legs, not realizing that she had been wearing such a short skirt until that moment.  He saw Yashiro move his hand down to fumble with his pants, Kagome’s hands moving to aid him.  He kissed her neck frantically, Kagome’s hands moving to his broad shoulders, her nails digging in.  He could hear her cry out as Yashiro’s hips began to move at a frantic pace.  He moved to kiss her again, and to his gall, she kissed him back.  Her legs were tightly wrapped around his waist, matching his thrusts.

 

Inuyasha didn’t know what to expect, but he certainly wasn’t expecting this.  He heard Kagome moan out Yashiro’s name, seeing him have a smug grin on his face.  He thrust harder into her, causing her cries to grow louder.  Inuyasha felt himself shaking in a jealous rage.  Kagome hadn’t waited for him like had waited for her.  She had moved on with a man that was identical to his human form.  He wondered if this man was his reincarnation, or if it was just someone that shared a resemblance to him.

 

“Tell me what you want, Kagome,” he heard Yashiro mutter into Kagome’s neck, thrusting into her. 

 

“I want you!” she cried, burying her face into his neck.  Inuyasha watched him pick her up with ease, carrying her to another room with a large bed.  He threw her on the bed, taking his pants off as Kagome moved to pull the skirt off, leaving her wearing only her bra.  Inuyasha wanted to leave, but he couldn’t tear his eyes away from her. 

 

She had a more feminine physique now, her hips flared out proportionately to her breasts, which were larger than he remembered.  Her lips were still pouty, her hair was longer than it was when he saw her.  But one thing was certain, it was still Kagome.  Yashiro was naked when he jumped onto the bed, pouncing on Kagome.  He heard her giggle, pulling him to her as she kissed him, making Inuyasha’s stomach turn in disgust.  She was enjoying this!

 

He saw her bra sail across the room a moment later, watching Yashiro’s mouth move down her body, sucking on her breast, causing her to moan.  Her moan resonated with Inuyasha, who felt his own arousal from her voice. 

 

He saw Yashiro bury his face between her legs, causing Kagome to cry out.  He saw her fumble with his hair, pulling it out of the pony tail so that his hair cascaded around him, causing the uncanny resemblance to confirm that perhaps Kagome truly had found his reincarnation. 

 

Kagome’s legs wrapped around Yashiro’s head, refusing to release him as her moans grew louder.  He saw her grasp the linens beneath her hands as her back arched, her breathing growing haggard.  Inuyasha saw Yashiro’s hands hold onto her thighs, keeping her pinned in place as he continued to pleasure her, seeing Kagome’s body burst into tremors, her voice growing hoarse from the cries escaping her lips.  Her legs went limp as Yashiro began to kiss his way up Kagome’s body once more, his hands massaging her breasts as he kissed them, gradually settling himself between her legs once more. 

 

“Kagome,” he heard Yashiro whisper against her neck, moving to kiss her with a hunger that Inuyasha understood.  He imagined that if he were to hold Kagome in his arms, his kiss would show the same hunger that Yashiro displayed now.  He saw that Yashiro had long scars across his back, with bruises that were nearly done healing across his whole body.  He wondered what kind of battle left him with those kinds of scars, thinking maybe he was protecting Kagome from something.

 

He saw that Yashiro began to thrust again, causing Kagome to cry out, holding onto Yashiro with all of her might.  He saw the red streaks from her nails digging into his back as she continued to cry out for him to go deeper inside of her. 

 

Inuyasha felt himself rise up, before too long being dumped onto the ground, soaked in sake.  He blubbered, gasping for air and coughing.  Miroku and the sage stared down at Inuyasha, who was struggling to stand.  He felt fairly drunk.

 

“Well?” Miroku asked, his face full of concern.  Inuyasha looked up at the sky and realized that quite some time had passed in the jug.  It had to be past midnight at this point. 

 

Inuyasha avoided Miroku’s gaze.  “Well, she hasn’t forgotten about me,” he said, his voice full of defeat.

 

Miroku squatted down next to Inuyasha, who refused to look up.  “She’s moved on, hasn’t she?”

 

Inuyasha looked up at Miroku with tears in his eyes.  “I think she’s married now.  They were doing… uh…”

 

Miroku’s eyes went wide.  “You watched them do that?”

 

Inuyasha nodded.  “And she seemed to really enjoy it.”

 

“Do you know if she found the inau?” Miroku asked, trying to change the topic.  He was feeling hopeful, but Inuyasha’s face told it all.

 

“She found it months ago, but she’s been afraid to come back.  I heard her say as much to her new lover.”

 

“What did her new lover look like?” Miroku asked, casing Inuyasha’s nose to wrinkle in disgust.

 

“He looks just like my human form, except his hair is different,” Inuyasha spat, standing up at last, brushing himself off.  “He was very smooth, more than happy to have his hands all over Kagome, and she didn’t mind!  He walked in the door and they began to fool around a moment later, and she just let him!”

 

“Well, when two people are close like that… sometimes romance goes out the window,” Miroku said bashfully, scratching his head.  Inuyasha glared at his friend, stomping off into the forest. 

 

Inuyasha stopped, his entire body showing defeat.  “When I first saw her, she was crying into my robe, saying my name.  As soon as that man… Yashiro… walked into the room, it’s like she had forgotten about me.  He begged her to not see me, and I think he changed her mind.  I don’t think she’s ever coming back, Miroku.”

 

“It sounds like she’s found you in your next life,” Miroku reasoned, placing his hand on Inuyasha’s shoulder.  “So you do see her again… just not in this life.  I’m sorry my friend.”

 

“She said she was coming back here, and he begged her not to… then they starting having sex…” Inuyasha explained. 

 

Miroku’s eyes went up in surprise.  “Wow… sounds like he moves fast.”

 

Inuyasha nodded.  “Very fast.  It took me a moment to realize what they were doing.  He had his hands all over her and she didn’t seem to mind.  I can’t even imagine being like that with anyone, especially Kagome.”

 

“Well, I guess she’s found someone to be comfortable with…” Miroku muttered, causing Inuyasha’s ears to twitch.

 

“I heard her say that her coming back would be taunting me… or something like that.  I can see why she’s scared… but I wish she would just come back.  Even if just for a moment,” Inuyasha said quietly, staring at the ground.  “Come on, let’s go back to the well.  She may change her mind, and I want to make sure I’m there if she ever decides to come back.”

 

“Inuyasha, you can’t spend your life waiting for Kagome.  You need to move on,” Miroku tried to reason, but Inuyasha let a tear slip from his eye.

 

“She’s all I’ve got, Miroku.  She’s the only woman that I’ve ever loved so deeply, and there’s nobody who could ever come close to replacing her.  Without her, my life is over.”  He looked up at the sky, another tear falling. 

 

“You know, I can make you a potion to forget her,” the old sage quietly piped up.  Both men had forgotten the sage was there.  They turned to look at him.  “At least, I can give you a potion to ease the pain of losing her.  I can remove your memories of her…”

 

Inuyasha thought about it long and hard.  “No… I can’t do that… She has my happiest memories.”

 

“Thank you for showing us Kagome,” Miroku said, bowing low to the sage.  The sage waved them away, turning his back to them, pouring himself another glass of sake.

 

Miroku and Inuyasha began the journey back to Kaede’s village, walking slowly through the forest.  Miroku looked exhausted, Inuyasha looked worn down.  It took them two days to make it back to the village, where Inuyasha and Miroku parted ways at his hut, both unable to say anything to one another.

 

“Inuyasha… please take care of yourself.  I’ll check on you soon,” Miroku said, seeing how downcast Inuyasha looked. 

 

“I will.  See you later,” Inuyasha said, walking the short distance back to the well.  

 

When he reached the well, he stared down into the darkness, tears welling up in his eyes.  “Kagome…” he whispered, clenching his fists.  “I just wish you’d come back to me… if only for a moment…”

 

He collapsed onto his knees, letting the sobs rake over his body.  His claws dug into the old wood as his shoulders shook from the sobs.  He just wanted to see her again.  He thought that she would realize that only a moment would be enough for him.  He wanted her with him for the rest of his life, but a moment would be more than enough. 

 

He just wanted to hold her one more time, and tell her that he loved her.  He always regretted never telling her he loved her.  He wanted nothing more than to feel her lips against his and to whisper his love to her.  

 

The image of her wrapped in another man’s arms infuriated him.  Damn that man to hell, even if it is his reincarnation, that wasn’t him.  Kagome shouldn’t be with anyone but him.

 

His jealousy ripped apart his soul, he wanted to crush the man’s throat for even looking at _his_ Kagome. 

 

He sat by the well, hoping that Kagome would reappear, staying in what felt like an eternal limbo. 

 

She had to come back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhh, poor Inuyasha, I swear I don't mean to be so cruel to him, but there's a purpose, I swear! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, please comment if you liked it! I LIVE for your comments! 
> 
> Xoxo


	22. Red Silk Rope

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kagome and Yashiro decide to get a little kinkier...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is not really plot relevant. You could easily skip this chapter and nothing in the story would be lost. However, this chapter is full of bondage and ass play, so if you're not into that, DON'T READ IT! If you are, I hope you like it :)
> 
> Thanks for reading!

Yashiro was holding up a toy that Kagome knew could only be for one thing, causing her cheeks to turn a bright red.  She couldn’t even look at him, and he had a smug grin on his face.

 

“Come on, it would be fun to try,” he cooed, waiving the toy in her face.  She covered her red face, shaking her head vigorously.

 

“No, I don’t know why you think that would be fun,” she hissed, but her voice’s harshness was softened by the fact that her entire face was as red as a beet.  He laughed, putting down the toy, taking her hand and walking her to a different part of the store. 

 

Yashiro had decided that since she was getting interested in bondage, they should go shopping together at a store called _Leather and Lattes,_ a leather specialty shop that also made fantastic coffee.  Kagome was holding her mocha in one hand, sipping on it while looking at the walls of different bondage gear.  Yashiro had dragged her to the anal toy aisle, and was now currently holding up a set of “trainers” that were made of blown glass.  His face was that of a little boy, excited to try new toys.  But the resemblance of a little boy stopped there.  He had looked more relaxed lately, finally being fully healed from the Kung Fu tournament.  Since Kagome was unable to find another job, he gave her his debit card and told her to buy anything she needed for the apartment, something she had hated at first, but was warming up to. 

 

He had told her that if she doesn’t want to work and to focus on school, he would support her completely---financially or otherwise.  She would typically spend the day tidying up the apartment and cooking, sometimes Sachiko would stop by and give her tips on what to try with Yashiro next.  Kagome then discovered the hooks in his bedroom ceiling used for suspending the sex swing, something she hasn’t been able to wrap her head around. 

 

Yashiro put the butt plugs down and picked up a leather riding crop.  “How about this, Kagome?  This could be a lot of fun…”  His eyes were mischievous, making her blush turn darker, if that were possible.  

 

“Yashiro, what happened to keeping it simple?  You’ve picked up every toy in here,” she whispered, glancing over to the cash register, where she was getting a strange look.  “Everyone’s staring at me.”

 

“Oh, I used to come here all the time back in the day, they’re probably trying to figure out if you’re a closeted freak,” he explained, causing Kagome to let out a squeak.  He picked up some red silk rope, giving Kagome a smug smile.  “This would be more fun to tie you up with, can we at least get the silk rope?”

 

“Why don’t you get me some leather handcuffs and a gag too!” she hissed, hoping he’d hear her sarcasm.  He didn’t.

 

“What color gag do you want?  And I have handcuffs,” he asked seriously, holding up two gags, one black and one red. 

 

“ _Oh my god Yashiro, take a fucking joke! This is insane!”_

His eye twinkled.  “How about this, I just buy a bunch of stuff, and as you’re comfortable, we’ll try it out.  Trust me, it’ll be fun.”  He picked up the anal toys, the riding crop, a red gag, the red silk rope, bed straps, and some different lubes and brought them to the front counter.  Kagome couldn’t even look near the cashier for fear of embarrassment.  Yashiro went through the store and found a few more things, but Kagome had walked out of the store, her coffee in hand, as she waited for him.  He walked out of the store with two large bags, a smug grin on his face. 

 

“You ready to go home?” he asked her, moving his eyebrows suggestively. 

 

“You know, we don’t have to try all the new stuff tonight,” she said, walking with him through Tokyo. 

 

“Of course we do, I didn’t buy all this stuff to sit in the bag,” he reasoned. 

 

“Not everything!  We’d be up all night!”

 

“Well, only if you insist, I suppose I can go all night,” he said thoughtfully, seeing her stare at the ground in embarrassment. She was so much fun to tease.  “You’re still so innocent, even after me tying you up,” he told her. 

 

“We only got kinky the one time!” she countered, hoping nobody heard them. 

 

“Yeah, and the image of you tied up is burned in my mind,” he replied, his voice light as a feather.  “I’ve had great dreams since then, want to hear about them?”

 

“No!”

 

He laughed, draping his arm around her shoulders, placing a kiss on her hair.  “Relax, I won’t push you to try anything you don’t want to try… but you should try everything at least once.  I got a couple more things that I think you’ll enjoy…”

 

She sipped her coffee, wrapping her arm around his waist.  She loved how close he was, he smelled amazing. 

 

They walked into his apartment shortly after, Kagome taking off her shoes and walking to the kitchen, turning on the hot water kettle, when Yashiro wrapped his arms around her waist, kissing her neck.

 

“Mmm,” he moaned into her neck.  “You smell amazing today… did you change your perfume?”

 

“You know I don’t wear perfume,” she said, letting her head fall back onto his shoulder.   His hands were on her hips, pulling her into his hips so she could feel his excitement.

 

“Come on… let’s at least try out something,” he quietly begged, his hand moving to go under her shirt.

 

“You’re insatiable,” she sighed, trying to ignore the fire growing in her stomach.  His touch always invoked desire.  She was a bottomless pit, no matter how much he gave himself to her, he was never able to completely satiate her.  She had felt her own hunger for him continually grow.  There were times where they would spend the entire day in bed, making love and talking, and she still wanted to feel him touch her.  She wondered if this is what it would be like with Inuyasha, unable to stop touching each other, memorizing each other’s bodies, learning his likes and dislikes…

 

She turned and wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him.  His hand moved under her bra, caressing her breast.  He squeezed it, pulling at her nipple, rolling it between his fingers.  She let out a soft moan. 

 

“I’m not sure I’d care for ass play,” she whispered against his lips. 

 

He groaned, his other hand moving to squeeze her ass.  “Will you at least give it a shot?”

 

She blushed, the heat of her blush could be felt against his lips, making him smile.  “I guess I can,” she whispered.  “But nothing too crazy!”

 

He kissed her, moving to kiss her neck.  “Remember what I said about the safe words?”

 

She sighed, giving him better access to her neck.  His mouth was hot on her skin, making her want to take him on the kitchen floor.  Why did their romance always start in the kitchen?

 

“Green means go more, yellow means tread cautiously, red means stop,” she recited, hearing him grunt in approval.  

 

“Let me get the toys cleaned up first,” he whispered, claiming her lips once more.  “I’ll meet you in the bedroom.”  He parted from her, grabbing the bags and heading towards the bathroom.  She went into the bedroom, stripping down to her underwear.  She quickly rummaged through her lingerie drawer, pulling out a red ruffled thong. She took of her underwear and put the thong on, looking through the drawer to see if she had a bra that would match it, but she felt hands on her stomach, pulling her close to a bare chested Yashiro.

 

“Oh darling, you won’t need anything else,” he whispered in her ear, desire heavy in his voice.  She felt chills go up her spine, wondering what he had in mind.  “You ready to try some new stuff?”

 

She turned to look at him, biting her bottom lip while staring at his mouth.  “Depends… You ready to teach me a lesson, Senpai?”

 

He groaned, grabbing her arms and holding them behind her back.  “Oh baby… you’re gonna make me cum if you keep talking like that…”

 

She let out a soft giggle, turning to face him, but he kept her where she was.  She felt cold metal on her wrists and a sudden clicking noise.  She tried to move her arms, but they were handcuffed behind her back.  He pulled her hair to the side so he had access to her neck, kissing it softly.  He kissed his way down her shoulder, his hand running lightly up and down her arm, causing goosebumps to form on her skin. 

 

“When you left the store, I found something that I thought you’d like… but we’ll have to take off your panties… as much as I like them…” he said, slowly pulling her panties down over her hips, kissing his way down her back.  He was on his knees before her, slowly turning her to face him so he could gaze up on her naked body.  He saw her blush crept down to her breasts, bringing a small smile to his lips.  He pulled out a pair of black lace panties, but inside there was a slim vibrator that looked sort of like a butterfly. 

 

“What’s that?” she asked quizzically, to which he smiled, helping her step into them. 

 

“They’re vibrating panties.  The vibrator will go inside you, and the other parts will vibrate on your clit.  I have the remote, so I’ll have full control of how strong the vibrations are as long as you wear them.”  He pulled them up, making her stand with a wide stance so he could insert the vibrator inside of her.  The sensation felt strange to Kagome as the panties were put into place.  She turned to look into the full length mirror beside her, thinking they looked no different than a regular lace thong now that they were on, but she could feel the vibrator inside of her, and the hard piece against her clit.  “How are you feeling so far?” he asked, kissing her stomach, letting his hands rest on her sides.

 

“Green,” she replied, wondering where he was going with this.  She saw the remote in his hand, he pushed a button and the vibrations made her nearly fall over.  She let out a soft moan, squeezing her legs together, feeling the delicious vibrations teasing her.  His hands moved to caress her breasts, squeezing them and pulling at her nipples.  He put one in his mouth, sucking hard on it, letting his teeth graze the hardened tip.  His hands moved to behind her back and opened the handcuffs, freeing her wrists. 

 

“Get on the bed,” he commanded, she had trouble walking, her body clenching from the vibrating panties, but she was moving too slow to his liking.  He slapped her ass hard, the stinging amplifying the vibrations she felt.  She moved quickly, laying on her back, her legs spread.

 

“No no, I want you face down,” he told her.  She rolled onto her stomach, her legs spread.  “I want your hands above your head.”  She moved her hands above her head.  She heard him rustle around in the bag for something, only to feel his weight on the bed shortly thereafter.  She let out a soft moan, feeling her body begin to create the familiar build up.  He began to bind her wrists with the rope, a little tighter than what he did with the tie, but he didn’t tie it to the bed. 

 

“Yashiro…” she moaned, feeling like she was going to cum any moment.  He could see that she was close, but he wanted to wait until just before.  She felt his hand move to her ass, pulling the panties aside to find her anus, rubbing something on it, letting his finger slide in just a little bit. 

 

“This gel will relax your ass a bit so the toy won’t hurt,” he told her, squeezing the flesh of her ass.  He saw her body begin to twitch, which prompted him to turn off the panties.  She let out a moan, grinding her hips towards him, silently begging him to continue.

 

“Green!” she cried, hoping that telling him to continue would give her the sweet release that her body was screaming for right now.  He let out a soft laugh.

 

“Oh, we’ve barely begun,” he told her.  She saw him pull out a small butt plug, slathering it with lube and saw it disappear behind her.  A moment later, she felt him slide it inside her.  She bit the pillow, trying not to let out a cry.  He was right, it didn’t hurt… it actually felt kind of _good._

 

He turned on the panties again, causing her to cry out.  Her body felt so full right now, a toy in each orifice, vibrating uncontrollably.  He moved so that he was standing inches from her face. 

 

“I want you to get on your hands and knees,” he told her.  _Was he kidding?_

She moved so that she was on her knees, but she struggled with her hands to get her head up.  When she was finally on her hands and knees, he unbuckled his jeans to let his erection spring free.  She knew what he wanted, so she crawled over to him and opened her mouth, where he slid his cock between her lips.  His hands moved to tangle in her hair as she bobbed her head, feeling him at the back of her throat.  Her body began to clench up once more, far more intense this time.  She saw the remote in his hand, and he pushed the button to increase the intensity of the vibrations, causing her to cry out with surprise. 

 

She felt the buildup reach its peak, she tried to pull Yashiro out of her mouth, but his hands had a firm grasp on her hair, pulling her deeper into her throat as her body burst into convulsions.  She cried out, her body filling with tremors as he began to thrust into her mouth, getting a little deeper each time.  Her cries were muffled from her mouth being full, her body slowly starting to wind down after a few moments of her body shaking.  She could feel that the panties were already drenched in her juices, the vibrator feeling looser than it did before.

 

“Oh Kagome…” he moaned, pulling himself out of her mouth when he felt himself get close.  He wasn’t going to finish this early, he wanted to tease her for as long as possible.  He pulled her hair up so she was standing on her knees, kissing her deeply.

 

“Green,” she sighed, wanting more.  Her body was screaming for more.  The panties continued to vibrate, causing her body to build up once again.  He smiled against her lips.  His hand reached down to roughly pull at her nipple, causing her to cry out.  He slapped her breast hard, the stinging sensation feeling so much better than she thought it would.  He was right, the pain during sex is far different than the pain normally.  This was a pain that she was beginning to crave, wanting more and excited to see what was going to happen next. 

 

“Yashiro… fuck me…” she begged, her bound hands moving down his chest to grab his cock.  He used the rope to pull her hands away.

 

“Uh uh, not yet,” he whispered, kissing her.  He bit at the base of her neck, sucking hard, leaving a dark red mark.  His hand moved to squeeze her ass, slapping it hard.  “Have you been naughty?” he asked her, slapping her ass again, this time harder.

 

“Nnn!” she cried, arching her back, feeling herself so close to the edge.  He turned off the panties, leaving her wanting more.

 

“I asked you a question,” he demanded, using the robe to pull her to her stomach, her arms outstretched on the bed.  He moved to touch the anal plug, pulling it out a little, then thrusting it back in.  She cried out, spreading her legs to give him better access.  She pushed her ass into the air, silently begging him to continue.

 

“I’ve been so naughty,” she cried, “Please, punish me!” she begged.  He pulled the plug out of her ass, putting it on the nightstand.  He grabbed the next size up, putting lube on it and sliding it inside of her.  She moaned, feeling the larger plug fill her up.  However this time, he began to pump it in her ass, causing her to bite the pillow beneath her.  It felt so much better than she would have imagined.  Not like he felt, it was a different kind of feeling.  One that she knew that if they continued to toy around with, she’d crave it. 

 

“How do you want me to punish you?” he asked her, continually pumping the toy inside her, agonizingly slow now.  He turned the panties on again, on the lowest setting, teasing her once more. 

 

She clenched the linens beneath her hands, biting her lip not to cry out.  She wasn’t able to make any words come out.  He spanked her hard, her ass getting redder with each spank.  She cried out, rolling her hips so that they were closer to him, silently begging him to take her now. 

 

“You have to say it, Kagome,” he whispered in her ear, pushing the toy farther into her ass.  His breath tickled her ear, sending shivers down her spine.   She felt the buildup reach its peak, her body clenching as she felt the intensity of the panties increase.  Yashiro kept a bland smile on his face, watching her writhe and wriggle on the bed, continually pumping the toy. 

 

“Yashiro!  Nnn!” she cried out as her body broke into more convulsions, this one far more intense than the last one.  She continued to cry out as her body shook, her panties completely soaking from her juices.  Yashiro turned off the panties and took the toy out of her ass, placing it on the nightstand.  Kagome lay on the bed gasping for air, whimpering as he had removed the toy.  His fingers hooked in the sides of the panties, pulling them over her hips agonizingly slow.  Kagome could feel the slim vibrator slide out, causing her to whimper once more. 

 

He couldn’t wait any longer, seeing her writhe in pleasure, crying his name, it was sending him over the edge.  He wanted to keep teasing her, but his own self control was wearing thin.  He needed to feel her surrounding him, clenching on his cock.  The panties were dropped to the floor, and Yashiro laid on his back next to Kagome, taking the rope and pulling her arms so that she was halfway on top of him.

 

“If you want it, take it for yourself,” he told her.  She was shaky on her legs, but she moved so that she was straddling him, sitting straight up with her bound wrists in front of her.  His hands moved to rub her clit, causing her to cry out, working to slide him inside of her.   “Come on, take it!” he commanded, rubbing harder. 

 

“Yashiro!” she cried, her body reacting to his fingers.  She felt the delicious pressure build up again, her body shaking as she slid down his length.  He felt so good, she could feel him so deep inside of her.  He began to buck his hips, his hands moving to steady her hips as he moved inside of her.  Her hands were bound in front of her, resting on his abs to keep her balance as she rode on him, the pressure building more and more.  She felt her body begin to clench, moving faster on him.

 

He suddenly sat up, so their faces were nearly touching.  His hand moved to pull her hair, forcing her head back so he could kiss her neck, biting down on the soft flesh.  She felt the pressure explode, her body bursting into tremors and convulsions, her voice hoarse as she cried his name. 

 

He threw her on her back, pulling the rope up so it was above her head.  He looped the rope through the headboard, so her hands would be unable to move.  He was on his knees, grabbing her hips and thrusting inside of her with force. 

 

“Yashiro!  Ah!” she cried, feeling him hit the barrier inside of her over and over.  The pain felt incredible, her legs wrapped around his waist as he pounded into her with strength she didn’t realize he possessed. 

 

“Kagome,” he moaned, feeling her clench around his cock once more.  “You’re mine,” he gasped, pounding into her harder with each thrust. 

 

“I’m yours!” she cried back, trying to match his thrusts.  His hands moved to grab her breasts, massaging them roughly as he felt himself reach the brink.  He felt his whole body clench up, feeling her release once more, her cries more hoarse than before. 

 

“Kagome!” he cried as he felt the release in himself, expelling his seed deep inside of her.  After a moment he collapsed on top of her, his face buried in her hair. 

 

They both lay there for a few minutes, gasping for breath.  Slowly, his hands moved to untie the silk rope from Kagome’s wrists.  Once her hands were free, she wrapped them around his neck.  Her hands fumbled with the hair binder, releasing his hair to cascade around them, creating a shroud of privacy. 

 

“Why do you always take my hair down?” Yashiro asked Kagome, placing a soft kiss on her lips.  “Whenever we get intimate, you always take my hair down.”

 

She felt a blush heat up her cheeks.  She couldn’t tell him because it made him look like Inuyasha...  “Your features are softened when your hair is down… You look sweeter…”

 

He smiled, leaning in to kiss her softly.  “How are you feeling?”

 

“Mmm, a little sore, but good,” she told him, her fingers playing with his bangs.  He kissed her again, still laying on top of her. 

 

“That’s good…” he whispered, resting his forehead against hers.  She pulled him to her, kissing him softly.  She couldn’t get enough of him, he was like a drug that commanded all of her attention.

 

“Come on, let’s take a bath and make some dinner,” she whispered, kissing him again.  She didn’t really want the moment to end, but it was getting late, and she had to go job hunting the next day.  He wrapped his arms around her, kissing her deeply, causing a soft sigh to escape her lips.

 

“I have a better idea,” he whispered, moving his hips so Kagome could feel his excitement.  She groaned.

 

“I don’t think I can handle another session…” she groaned, opening her legs so he could settle himself in, his tip teasing her entrance. 

 

“You’re really fighting me,” he chuckled, sliding inside of her slowly.  She let out a soft gasp.  Her legs moving around his waist.  His arms stayed wrapped around her, moving to bury his face in the crook of her neck.  “I love you Kagome…”  He thrust inside of her slowly, savoring the moment. 

 

Her arms moved to be around his neck, soft sighs escaping her lips.  Whenever they were slow like this, he would tell her he loved her.  Kagome always hated it, because she could never say it back with a clean conscious.  Whenever they went slow like this, she always had to bite back Inuyasha’s name, so she would often refuse to say anything when they went slow.

 

He continued to thrust slowly inside of her, holding her close to him, enjoying the sensation of being so close to her. 

 

“Tell me you love me,” he whispered, kissing her neck.  She let out a soft sigh.  “Please Kagome… I need to hear you say it,” he begged.  He lifted his face to look into her eyes, his face showing pure defeat.  He looked exposed, making Kagome’s heart sink.

 

“I love you…” she whispered, but she couldn’t bring herself to say his name.  He didn’t seem to mind, leaning down to kiss her.  Her fingers tangled in his long hair as she kissed him, feeling him expose his weakness to her.  He was opening his heart to her, offering it to her willingly, silently begging her not to break it again. 

 

She began to match his thrusts, feeling him pick up the pace a bit.  He finished shortly thereafter, laying in her arms, feeling at peace. 

 

He placed another soft kiss on her lips before getting out of the bed, giving her a warm smile.  “Come on, let’s go take a bath,” he said, offering his hand to help her.  She struggled to walk again, but she was able to this time. 

 

The rest of the evening passed in comfortable silence, occasionally Yashiro would place a kiss on her neck, or make a quick comment about their dinner.  They ended the night watching a drama, where Kagome fell asleep being held in his arms.

 

It was more than enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So while I was writing this, I went to my husband and said, "hey" but apparently I said it in a way where he looked at me and said, "Oh no, you're writing Inuyasha porn again, aren't you?" and he refused to let me go near him until I had... uh... *ahem* calmed myself down. But I will say this was a fun chatper to write. And Leather and Lattes IS a real place in my home town. I haven't been, but my friends who have gone say their coffee is great. So is their leather BDSM gear :) 
> 
> Hope you liked the chapter!


	23. A Mother's Betrayal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kagome meets Yashiro's mother, and after, Yashiro is in a panic.

Kagome had been turned down to every job she had applied for that day.  She had six different interviews, and when she got back to the apartment, she was exhausted.  Yashiro was teaching a summer night class that particular evening, so he wouldn’t be home until well after nine.  She stared at the shrine in the living room, seeing the inau sitting out on the front next to the picture of Yashiro’s mother.

 

The picture always made her heart sink.  It was a picture of Yashiro with his mother when he was a little boy, no more than four years old.  She had long black hair with no bangs, her hair tied into a high pony tail with the waves of hair cascading down her back.  She had large almond shaped eyes that were a dark chocolate color, unlike Yashiro’s pools of sapphire.  The small Yashiro in the picture was smiling for the camera with a toothless grin, his hair about shoulder length, wearing a red kimono, matching his mothers.  They looked happy in the picture, she could see why he hid the fact that his mother was still alive.  It was likely less painful to deal with the fact that she had sold him.  She wondered where his mother was now, and what the relationship dynamic between them was.  She had remembered that Roku said that she only showed up when she needed drug money, something that truly made her heart ache.  She could see Yashiro pining for his mother’s affection, giving her anything she asked for, with hopes that she would shower him with some sort of affection.

 

She took her shoes off, walking to the kitchen to make a cup of tea.  What was she going to tell Yashiro?  He told her that he would support her and that he didn’t mind that she wasn’t working, but it wasn’t fair to him to have to support both of them.  Her inability to get a job was wearing on her mind.  She hated asking his permission to buy things, and while he told her that as long as it wasn’t outrageous, he was well off.  Winning the Kendo tournament put quite a bit into his savings so while he didn’t have to work, he chose to.  However, she knew that he took the extra teaching this summer to help support her, but he swore that it was just for the fun of it.  The fact that he found teaching history fun is something that always blew her mind away.

 

She poured the hot water over the tea bag, smelling the earthy scent of the green tea.  She sighed, looking at the clock on the stove.  Yashiro would be home in about four hours.  She pulled out her phone and saw Roku’s number, maybe she should go speak to the fortune teller about going back to the feudal age.  She promised Yashiro that she would go back once he was fully healed, and his bruises were no longer visible.  He was back to practicing at the gym several times per week, in addition to writing his dissertation and teaching full time.  He was pretty busy, while she sat at home acting like his little wife.

 

She shook her head, she didn’t want to think like that.  She was pretty much acting as a wife would act, without actually being his wife.  He hadn’t stopped proposing to her, and she figured he never would.  She would never be able to marry him without seeing Inuyasha first.  What’s more, is that she was starting to suspect that maybe she was being sabotaged.  She had zero luck finding a job, and many of her classmates had been giving her the stink eye as of late. She didn’t know what was going on, but something seemed fishy.  She had always prided herself in being well liked, and now she was actively avoided by everyone she knew.

 

She heard a knock at the door, curious as to who could be visiting on a Wednesday evening.  She opened the door to see an older woman with long black hair in a high pony tail.  She had crow’s feet at the corners of her eyes, with large dark circles under her eyes.  Her mouth was hard set, with heavily yellowed teeth.  She wore dirty clothes of what used to look like a red tshirt and oversized jeans.  Her cheeks were hollow, her cheekbones sticking out sharply.  Her lips were thin and dried out, pursed in a tight line that looked like a permanent scowl.  What was worse was that she smelled atrocious.  Kagome had to restrain herself from plugging her nose to keep herself from gagging. 

 

“Where’s Yashiro?” the woman asked.  Her voice sounded like she had smoked a pack a day for thirty years.  Kagome could smell the cigarettes on her breath as she spoke, wondering just how much this woman could possibly smoke.

 

“He’s working until later tonight,” Kagome said, unsure of how to proceed.  Kagome stared at the woman, unsure of what to do.  The woman didn’t move.  Finally, she looked like she was incredibly aggravated.

 

“Well are you going to invite me in or not!?” she yelled at Kagome, causing her to jump.  Kagome stepped to the side and let the strange woman inside the apartment.  “You’d think that the help would know his mother was stopping by,” she muttered.

 

Kagome’s jaw dropped.  This was Yashiro’s mother?  They looked nothing alike, she saw no resemblance to this woman at all.  She looked at the picture on the shrine, realizing that his mother had aged considerably and looked like total hell compared to the young shining face in the picture.  _Well, she has been using hard drugs,_ Kagome reminded herself.

 

“So uh, can I get you some tea?” Kagome asked, the woman sat down on the couch and crossed her legs, looking around.  Kagome cringed when she saw that she was sitting on the light colored sofa while Yashiro’s mothers clothing was so disgustingly dirty.  She was going to have to shampoo the sofa later.

 

“It looks like a woman is living here,” she said, ignoring Kagome’s question.  “Since when does he have a woman living here?”  She seemed to be talking to herself more than to Kagome, so Kagome turned on the kettle and opened a teabag.

 

She went back to the living room where Yashiro’s mother sat, approaching her.

 

“You said you were Yashiro’s mother?” Kagome asked, sitting on the other side of the couch from her.

 

“Obviously.  Who the hell are you?  His maid or something?” she barked.

 

“I’m Kagome… I’m dating your son,” Kagome said nervously, unsure of how to deal with the woman before her.

 

The woman gave a throaty laugh.  “I doubt that, he’s just stringing you along honey.  My Yashiro doesn’t stay with a girl too long, it’s too inconvenient for him.”

 

“We’ve been together seven months,” Kagome stated blandly.  His mother’s eyes went wide.

 

“Congratulations, you win the longest fucking relationship he’s had.  Do you want some sort of nobel fucking prize?”

 

Kagome heard the kettle turn off and went into the kitchen, pouring tea for the witch.  Kagome slammed the cup on the coffee table, startling Yashiro’s mother.

 

“I’ll call him and see if he can make it home sooner,” Kagome said, going back into the kitchen.

 

“Wait, I’m not here to see him,” she said, her voice weary.  She stood up, leaving her tea untouched.  “I heard he had a new squeeze, I wanted to see for myself.”

 

Kagome had her phone out, sending Yashiro a text.  **Your mother just showed up.  You may want to come home.**

Yashiro’s mother grabbed her face, tightly grasping her chin.  She turned Kagome’s face back and forth, taking a good solid look at her.  The strong smell of cigarettes assaulted Kagome’s nose, causing her to choke back a gag. 

 

“Well you’re cute, I’ll give you that.”

 

Kagome forced her face away from her, causing a throaty laugh to reach her ears once more.  “Thank you?”

 

“What’s your name again?” she asked.

 

“It’s Kagome.  What’s yours?  Yashiro never told me your name,” Kagome asked, trying to keep her distance from her.

 

“Akira.  And I have to ask… Does Yashiro talk about me often?” she asked, her voice almost pleading.  This woman’s emotions were all over the place.

 

“All the time, but I didn’t know you were alive,” Kagome said, motioning to the shrine.  “He prays every night.”

 

She saw the picture on the shrine, back in her youth.  She smiled at the picture, turning back to Kagome.  “My dear, could you possibly go get my tea off of the table?”

 

Kagome thought it was strange that she were asked to walk father than Akira would have to walk for the tea, but she figured it would be best to oblige her.  As soon as Kagome walked passed her, she felt something sharp prick her neck.  A moment later, she felt incredibly dizzy, her balance failing her.

 

Akira pulled the needle out of Kagome’s neck, staring down at the younger girl before her.

 

“What the…?” Kagome said, crawling towards Akira, her vision going in and out, unable to concentrate.

 

“Don’t worry, it’ll wear off in a few hours,” Akira told her.  “You don’t understand, there’s a large price for you, and I really need the money, I’m sure you understand that it’s just business.”

 

Kagome tried to reach into her pocket for her phone, but Akira stepped on her hand, causing Kagome to cry out.  She struggled to remain conscious, but the drug was too powerful, causing her to fade out.

 

Once Kagome was completely still, Akira walked to the door and two large men came into the apartment, one of them tying Kagome’s feet and the other tying her hands.  They gagged her and picked her up, carrying her out of the apartment.  Akira stared at the shrine for a moment before sighing and walking out.

 

-*-*-

 

Yashiro ended his lecture as soon as he saw the text from Kagome.  As far as he knew, she had no idea that his mother was still alive, and he knew that her meeting his mother was nothing but trouble.  His mother had a penchant for being incredibly rude and often bursting into violent fits when she was suffering withdrawal.  She only visited him when she was suffering withdrawal, needing a new fix and knowing that he would give her money to get her through the next couple weeks.  He would usually give her a bath and money, going months without seeing her.  He hadn’t seen her in close to a year, but his friends had been keeping tabs on her.  She would often be seen in Little Edo, begging on the streets.  Roku would often give her little sums of cash so she could get her next fix, but he never imagined she would show up at his apartment.

 

When he reached his apartment, the door was open.  He felt his heart sink as he stepped into the apartment.  Nothing looked out of place, but there was a strong odor of human waste and cigarettes, a smell he often associated with his mother.  He saw two cups of tea untouched in the apartment, one on the coffee table and one in the kitchen.  Seeing that, he knew something was wrong.  Kagome was meticulous about dishes, never letting them sit around the house.  He went into the bedroom and saw that nothing was out of place.  He went into the bathroom and saw nothing was out of place either. 

 

He pulled out his phone and was about to dial the police when he saw an unread text message from a blocked number

 

**You will never see her again.**

His blood ran cold, he had no idea what he was going to do.  He phoned the police, pacing in his apartment, afraid to touch anything.  What happened to Kagome?

 

-*-*-

 

Kagome woke up several hours later feeling stiff.  She felt nauseous, her head groggy and her eyes droopy.  She felt like she had been hit by a truck   She had a gag in her mouth, her hands and feet were bound, and she was bound to a hard metal chair.  It looked like she was in a warehouse, and on the side, she saw a young man sitting with his legs crossed.  He looked like he was asleep, but when Kagome began to stir, he got up and walked towards her. 

 

He was about six feet tall with a slim build, similar in build to Yashiro.  His hair was also long, but about down to his mid back and hung straight down.  He had thin bangs across his brow and narrow eyes that were a dark sapphire color.  He had high cheekbones and a narrow mouth that was set in what Kagome assumed was a permanent scowl.  His shoulders were broad and he was wearing a black button down shirt and designer jeans.  His shoes were black doc martens that looked like they had never been worn before. 

 

“Ah, so you’re finally awake,” he said, his voice smooth and deep.  Kagome glared at him.  “I was afraid that the twit overdid it, but she assured me that she gave you just enough to knock you out.  You’re probably going to feel hung over for a while though.”

 

He reached out and pulled the gag out of her mouth, when Kagome began to scream at the top of her lungs.  He back handed her, knocking her over so she was bound to the chair on the floor.  Kagome tasted blood, but she was too angry to notice the throbbing on the side of her face. 

 

“Shut the fuck up, nobody can hear you,” he said coolly.  He reached and sat her back upright.  “If you scream again, I’ll gag you.  Understood?”  She did nothing but glare at him.

 

He pulled a cigarette out of his pocket and lit the end, blowing smoke in her face.  “You’re probably wondering who I am,” he said, Kagome just glaring at him.

 

“You’re not going to get away with this,” Kagome spat.

 

“That’s the thing, I already have,” he said, sounding cocky. 

 

“That’s so cliché,” she told him, and he chuckled.

 

“Yeah, it kind of is, isn’t it?  But it’s true.  Yashiro Nagasaki… Man, do he and I go way back.”  Kagome’s curiosity was visible, so he continued.  “He’s my kid brother.  Bet you didn’t know he had a brother either, did you?”

 

Kagome’s eyes grew wide.  He smirked.  “Different mothers, obviously.  He’s a bastard, I’m legitimate.  My father cheated on my mother with that drug addicted piece of shit,” he spat, taking another drag of his cigarette.  “I didn’t know about him until he was a teenager, using my father’s name.  Nagasaki isn’t his real name, you know.”

 

“What is it?” Kagome asked, causing him to smile.

 

“Takahashi.  His real name is Yashiro Takahashi.  Nagasaki is my father’s name, has a better ring to it, I’d think.  But my father never claimed him on the birth certificate.  You see, his birth certificate says his father is unknown, so he was supposed to take his mother’s last name, but his mother insisted it be Nagasaki.  She wanted him to inherit our father’s fortune.  As if my mother would ever let that happen.  We made sure they were penniless.”

 

“Why do you hate him so much?” Kagome asked, feeling the knot on her wrists loosen up.  If she could keep him talking longer, she might be able to get out of these bindings…

 

“Because he tarnished our good name.  His mother went to the papers, touting how such a respected diplomat had an illegitimate child.  Doesn’t look good, does it?  When he was a teenager, he was happy to tell everyone that his father was this well respected diplomat.  I paid off his foster mother to kick him out so he’d realize just how worthless he was.”

 

Kagome felt her heart freeze, she wondered if Yashiro knew all of this already.  “Does he know that you paid off his foster parents?”

 

He laughed.  “Of course not.  He thinks that they kicked him out because he was difficult, however, it didn’t take much convincing to get him on the streets.  What made it worse is that he started working in the adult film industry, further tarnishing the good Nagasaki name.  No matter what he did, he tarnished our family.  He’s the rotting branch on the family tree.”

 

“So what does this have to do with me?” Kagome asked, feeling the ropes come undone around her wrists.  She just had to get the binding on the chair now.

 

“You see, he slept with my wife shortly before I married her, and I’ve been wondering if our child is mine or his.  He swears that it’s not his, but my wife is unsure.  I didn’t know about this until recently, and when that cunt exgirlfriend of his came to me crying that he had a new squeeze, I realized I could finally get my revenge on him.  Akane and I go way back too, I dated her a little before Yashiro did.  We seem to have similar taste in women…”

 

Kagome glared at him, wanting to spit in his face.  Finally, she mustered the courage to ask him the question that had been nagging her mind since she had first woken up.  “What do you plan to do to me?” she asked, trying to find the knot to the bindings around her torso.

 

“Oh, at first I thought of an eye for an eye, giving you back to him tarnished, but then you’d talk… I need you silenced… forever.  Oh, don’t worry, we’ll have fun first,” he said, taking a final drag of his cigarette before walking towards her now frozen form.  “But your body will be in the river by the time this is over.”

 

The ropes that were around her wrists fell to the ground, causing him to raise his eyebrows in question.  Kagome began to shake, terrified about what was going to happen next.

 

“Don’t worry, my dear, like my brother, I also like to take my time,” he said, putting the cigarette out on her bare arm.  She screamed in pain as she felt the cigarette burn her skin.  The searing pain refused to stop, the flesh throbbing in pain.  “Now shut your fucking trap or I’ll break your jaw next.”

 

Kagome bit her lip, feeling her face swelling from the blow he landed earlier.  Silent tears fell down her face as he turned around.

 

He kneeled behind her, tying her wrists so tight that she felt circulation cut off from her hands, making them numb.  She could barely move her fingers, realizing that she was truly trapped right now.

 

“Don’t worry, my dear, it’s only going to get worse from here, I can promise you that.”  He stood up, brushing off his pants.  “I’ll be back tomorrow sometime… if I remember you’re still here.”

 

She watched him walk away, exiting the building, leaving her to rot. 

 

She let out a sob, afraid of what was going to happen next.

 

-*-*-

 

Yashiro watched the last of the police exit his apartment.  He told them that he had gotten a text from Kagome saying his mother was there, and when he came home, his apartment was open and she was gone.  The police didn’t seem to think that anything was amiss, telling him that they would follow up.

 

However, he had no faith in the Tokyo Police.  They seemed unamused when he told them that she was missing and they almost laughed when he said that she wouldn’t leave a cup on the coffee table.  He showed them the ominous text, and the police suggested it may be a prank.  They took notes, telling her they’d look into it, but Yashiro was frantic.  He knew they wouldn’t do anything, and he feared that Kagome was in serious danger.  He was pacing his apartment, holding back tears.

 

_What happened to Kagome?_

 

Yashiro stared at the inau on the shrine.  He wondered…

 

He pulled out his phone, dialing Roku.

 

“Sup?” Roku said, answering on the third ring.

 

“Roku, that inau… could you bring Inuyasha here to the present with it?”

 

Roku was quiet for a moment.  “Why?”

 

Yashiro briefly explained what happened, how Kagome went missing and the ominous text. 

 

“So what good would it do to bring Inuyasha to the present?” Roku asked, wondering where Yashiro was going with this.

 

“He was a dog demon.  Kagome had stated that he had an incredible sense of smell.  The police aren’t doing anything, I have no idea where to start, and maybe he could track her.”

 

Roku was silent for a moment.  “It said he’d be by the well, right?  Where is the well?”

 

“It’s at the Higurashi shrine.  In an out building.  Meet me there in an hour,” Yashiro said.  They hung up and he frantically pulled out the inau and the robe of the fire rat. 

 

He caught a cab and made the drive to the Higurashi shrine.  He waited at the bottom of the steps, Roku arriving shortly thereafter.  They rushed up the steps, working to avoid Kagome’s family.  They made it to the bone eaters well, Roku staring down the well.

 

“I don’t know if this will work,” Roku admitted, taking the inau and the robe.  “I have to change the words a little, and he’ll only have three days to find her.  Do you think that will be enough time?”

 

Yashiro nodded.  “She only disappeared today, if he can track like she said he can, he’ll find her tonight.”

 

Roku nodded, placing the robe on the edge of the well, waiving the inau over it.  He began the incantations, his eyes closed as he continued to repeat the words.  The inau began to glow, as well as the robe of the fire rat.  After the fourth incantation, a bright light burst into the shack, a form appearing.  Roku continued to repeat the incantation, waiving the inau faster, when Yashiro’s breath was taken away when a man walked through the light.  He had long, silver hair and white dog ears on top of his head.  His eyes were amber and his skin was tanned.  He had a white robe on with red hakamas.  He saw that he had long claws for nails, and his feet were bare.  Roku said the incantation one more time, closing the light, leaving the three men around the well.

 

Inuyasha looked at Roku raising his eyebrows in question.  He turned his head and saw Yashiro, his eyes narrowing, his hand moving lightning fast to grab him by his shirt front.  He lifted Yashiro a good foot off the ground, causing him to struggle against his demon strength. 

 

Inuyasha had a snarl on his face, only two words leaving his lips.

 

“Where’s Kagome?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mwahahahahahaha.... Comment what you think will happen next!


	24. Crack of the Whip

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kagome tries to escape, Inuyasha and Yashiro track down Kagome...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long, I slept a lot this weekend :/ But I was able to pump this out pretty quickly I think. Hope you enjoy!

Kagome wasn’t sure how long had passed, but she knew that it was now early morning and it was night when Yashiro’s brother had left.  He never gave her a name, and she had no idea where to start.  She knew his last name was Nagasaki, but that didn’t help too much, there were tons of Nagasaki’s in Japan.  She knew that he resembled Yashiro quite a bit, with long black hair and similar eyes.  She knew that he was married, and Yashiro has potentially impregnated his wife.  She wondered if it was the same woman that he had potentially impregnated two years ago, she couldn’t be sure.  

 

 

Her hands were numb and throbbing from how tight the rope was.  She had been screaming most of the night, hoping that someone, anyone, would pass by and hear her, but she had no such luck.  

 

 

The sun was shining through the warehouse windows at the top of the building, but it was still incredibly dark in the warehouse.  The floor was cold cement and there was trash and graffiti everywhere, letting her know that it was long since abandoned.  There was a metal table not too far from her, with empty liquor bottles and a heavy layer of dust on it.  There was also a large barrel on the floor, looking like it had been used for bonfires.

 

 

 Her throat felt dry and hoarse, her body on edge for what was going to happen next.  She couldn’t stop crying and her body continued to shake.  She hoped that Yashiro would be able to find her before it was too late.  She always knew that Inuyasha would be able to find her, but Inuyasha would always be able to track her scent and always had a decent shot of finding her.  Yashiro on the other hand...

 

 

_Yashiro…_

 

 

Tears stung her eyes, she was going to die and she wasn’t going to be able to see Yashiro.  In this moment, she realized that she really loved him, and while she couldn’t see Inuyasha anymore, she knew that Yashiro would be with her until the end.  

 

 

Unless her end was near, which she feared it was.  

 

 

She had been fighting against the ropes all night with no luck.  It was cold in the warehouse and she knew as the sun continued to rise, it would be stifling hot.  The burn on her arm hadn’t stopped throbbing, but the pain had toned down.  Her adrenaline was on high alert, and she knew that if she didn’t try to fight her way out of this, she would end up at the bottom of a river.

 

 

She felt like she was out of tears and now she had grim determination to get out of this situation.  She tried to wiggle more in the chair, hoping that something, anything would give so she could escape this hell.  

 

 

She wanted to see her family, she wanted to see her friends, but most of all, she wanted to see Yashiro one last time.  All of her regrets came to the surface as she realized that she may not survive this.  Her emotions were on high alert, running through everything she had been avoiding in her life.  She had been pining over Inuyasha for so long that she had refused to live after losing him.  She had kept a man who loved her with his entire heart at bay with the hopes that she would be reunited with her hanyou, and now, she wouldn’t see either of them ever again because of her stubbornness and pride.  She was so afraid of going back to see Inuyasha, for fear of never seeing him again or being unable to get the closure she needed.  She was afraid to say yes to Yashiro’s proposal because she wanted to live her life.  Now she was trapped in a warehouse, about to die, and her biggest regrets had been not saying yes to Yashiro and not seeing Inuyasha one last time.  She decided that if she got out of this alive, first thing she was doing was going to see Inuyasha and saying yes to Yashiro.  They both deserved happiness, and most of all, Inuyasha deserved closure.

 

 

She felt a sob rise in her throat, she didn’t know what she was going to do right now.  Thoughts of Inuyasha ran through her head, hoping that if she couldn’t see him in this life, she would see him in the next.  She hoped that when she reached hell, he would be waiting for her with open arms.

 

 

_No, I can’t think like that.  I have to get out of here._

 

 

She continued to struggle, the heat of the day starting to come upon her in the warehouse.  She knew she couldn’t be here when Yashiro’s brother showed up, she knew she had to be gone, but how was she going to escape?

 

 

She continued to struggle, crying for help, hoping that someone, somewhere, could hear her.

 

 

-*-*-

 

 

Inuyasha held Yashiro off the ground, a low growl could be heard from deep in his chest.  He recognized the man before him, it was the man that Kagome had her legs wrapped around in the vision.  It had taken him a moment to track who it was because this human’s scent was so much like his own.  He had no doubt that this man was his reincarnation, but that didn’t change the fact that he hated the bastard.

 

 

He had been sitting by the well when a large light appeared before him.  He decided to check it out when it sucked him in, only for him to see the inside of the well house from Kagome’s time.  He knew that if Kagome couldn’t come to him, then perhaps this way, he could finally see her.  He stepped through, only to be greeted by two concerned looking men, one who looked and smelled like Miroku, and the other…

 

 

The other was the man whose throat he wanted to rip out.  

 

 

The man smelled like he had Kagome all over him, his scent was mingled with Kagome’s in a way that could only happen if they had recently been intimate.  He could smell Kagome’s arousal on his clothes, something that caused anger to swell in his chest.  He couldn’t blame Kagome, they had been apart for nearly six years, but he could hate the man that kept her from him all this time.  As soon as he saw the man that had been with Kagome before him, his hand reached out, his claws struggling to stay retracted, as he lifted him off the ground.  Inuyasha’s jealousy and anger were evident, struggling to keep his inner demon check as he threatened the man before him.

 

 

“Where’s Kagome?” Inuyasha snarled, trying hard to keep his claws retracted.  

 

 

“Put me down!” Yashiro demanded, fear clenching his heart.  He was staring down a demon right now, a creature he didn’t actually think existed.  He was realizing that Kagome had been telling the truth the entire time.  Kagome had once been in love with a half-dog demon, who, from what he could tell, was thoroughly pissed off.  He had thought maybe Inuyasha was just a figment of her imagination, but here he was, standing before him, holding him off the ground with anger in his eyes.

 

 

“Not until you tell me where Kagome is,” he snarled back, tightening his grip on Yashiro’s shirt.  

 

 

“We don’t know where she is,” Roku stated, stepping forward.  “She’s been kidnapped and we can’t find her.”

 

 

Inuyasha pulled Yashiro close to him so they were merely inches apart.  “You mean to tell me you let her get into danger?”  His breath was hot on Yashiro’s face, his eyes flashing red.  

 

 

“I didn’t know she was in danger!  I came home and she was gone!” Yashiro pleaded.  “Please, you’re my only hope of finding her again!  She might die if we don’t find her!”

 

 

Inuyasha growled low at Yashiro.  “If she dies, so do you.”

 

 

With that, Inuyasha dropped Yashiro, who fell to the ground in a heap.  He stood up and brushed himself off, noticing there were several tears in his shirt from where Inuyasha had grabbed him. Inuyasha grabbed the robe of the fire rat and put it on, adjusting his attire.  

 

 

“Where was her last known location?” Inuyasha said gruffly, glaring at Yashiro with all his might.  Oh, did he want to rip the human to shreds.  The man before him held the same scent as him on the night of the new moon, cluing in Inuyasha that perhaps this was his reincarnation.  However, that didn’t matter right now.  What mattered was that Kagome was missing, and this bastard had Kagome’s scent all over him.  The smell of Kagome’s arousal was almost intoxicating him, pissing him off all the more.  It should have been _him_ that caused her to be that way, not the bastard standing in front of him.

 

 

“She was last in my apartment, we’ll start there,” Yashiro said, leading the way out of the well house.  “I’m Yashiro, by the way,” Yashiro said, introducing himself.  Inuyasha ignored him, brushing past him. 

 

 

The three of them snuck around the shrine, getting to the bottom of the steps undetected.  Roku unlocked his car and Inuyasha stared at the contraption, his eyes narrowed.

 

 

“It would be faster if I carried you,” Inuyasha said to Yashiro, the edge of his voice calming down.  He wanted to scare the bastard a little bit too. 

 

 

“No, Roku knows the area and can get us there in less than an hour,” Yashiro told him, moving to get into the car.  Inuyasha grabbed Yashiro’s wrist, throwing him over his shoulder and leaping into the air.

 

 

Roku watched them fly away into the night, getting into his car and working to follow them, unsuccessfully.

 

 

“Will you hold still?” Inuyasha barked as Yashiro screamed while they sailed through the air, flying over the treetops.  When they landed, Inuyasha put Yashiro down, whose face was completely white with fear.  Inuyasha crouched down, “Get on my back, won’t be as terrifying then.”

 

 

Yashiro, afraid to further piss off the demon in front of him, climbed on his back.  Inuyasha lept into the air, flying over the buildings and streets of Tokyo, making it to Yashiro’s apartment in less than fifteen minutes.  They landed on the balcony, Yashiro getting off of Inuyasha, feeling woozy. 

 

 

Inuyasha walked into the apartment, noticing the books and the swords throughout the apartment.  However though, the smell of Kagome wafted over him, completely overcoming him.  He closed his eyes, taking in her scent, sighing.  He had missed her smell, it was intoxicating to him.  He could smell her arousal and the pungent smell of sex in the apartment as well, telling him that this Yashiro guy and Kagome were intimate fairly frequently, and recently.  The thought of Kagome’s naked flesh wrapped around the man standing next to him infuriated him further, but he knew that Kagome’s safety had to come first.  He’d rip Yashiro’s throat out after Kagome was safe. 

 

 

“Well, can you track her?” Yashiro asked, grabbing one of his swords and tying it to his belt.  He had a look of concern on his face, his mind racing, thinking the worst.  He didn’t have a clue as to who could have kidnapped Kagome.  He knew there were people out there who hated him, but none came to mind that would potentially murder the woman he loved... 

 

 

“Yeah, she was here only a few hours ago, they couldn’t have gotten far,” Inuyasha mumbled, going out the front door of the apartment.  Yashiro followed close behind.  Once they were on the street, Inuyasha motioned for Yashiro to climb on his back again, and off into the skies they went.  

 

 

Before too long, the sun began to rise and they were on the outskirts of Tokyo.  Wherever this guy took Kagome, he took her far enough out of town where nobody could hear her.  Both men began to fear the worst, the farther they got.

 

_Hang on Kagome, don’t give up hope,_  Inuyasha thought to himself.  

 

 

-*-*-

 

 

Kagome eyed a piece of broken glass on the ground in front of her.  It was long and jagged, looking incredibly sharp.  The bindings around her wrists had loosened up just enough so she could get feeling back in her hands again, but he tied the knot much tighter than before, making it impossible to get the knot out at the angle she was at.

 

 

She was able to wriggle her way in the chair over to the glass, wondering how she was going to get it.  She knocked herself on the floor, pain heavy on her side as she landed.  She knew she was going to be bruised, but she figured she’d rather be bruised and alive than…

 

 

She shook her head, she couldn’t think like that.  She needed to get out of this situation.

 

 

She wriggled her way until her fingers were able to touch the glass, slowly moving it into her grasp.  She finally got ahold of it, slowly sawing the bindings on her wrists, hoping it was sharp enough to cut through the rough rope.  

 

 

She sawed for what felt like an eternity when finally, the bindings fell loose, freeing her wrists.  She moved her wrists to start to saw the bindings around her torso when she heard a door open.

 

 

She began to saw frantically, hoping that it wasn’t Yashiro’s brother she heard.  Suddenly, she heard a loud CRACK, realizing that the jagged piece of glass had broken, rendering it useless.  She had a small piece of glass still in her hand as she frantically began to try to saw through the rope, but it was too dull.  She heard soft footsteps approach her, causing fear to grip her heart.  

 

 

She felt a sob rise in her throat once more, feeling helpless as she stared at a pair of black doc martens and designer jeans.  

 

 

“Well, well, what do we have here?” the familiar voice stated, causing Kagome’s blood to run cold.  She felt him grab a fist full of her hair, pulling her upright in the chair.  She screamed as he roughly pulled her hair, the pain unbearable.  

 

 

“Let go of me!” she cried.  “You will not get away with this!  Yashiro will find me and you’re going to jail!”

 

 

 

He began to laugh, releasing her hair as he stumbled back, wiping a tear from his eye.  “Oh sweet child, he will never find you.  The police didn’t believe him, he has no idea where to even begin looking.  There is no one who can save you.”

 

 

He moved quickly, his hands pressing on her legs as his face was nose to nose with her, his features growing dark.  “You’re nothing more than a tally on a list for a worthless womanizing bastard, don’t you forget that.”

 

 

“I am not!” she screamed, throwing her head back and hitting him as hard as she could with her head.  He was knocked back, feeling a trickle of blood run down his face.

 

 

“You bitch!” he roared, using his strength to hit her face with the back of his hand, hitting the bruise from the day before.  She wasn’t knocked down to the ground this time, but she felt her neck turn harshly as he hit her.  The pain was unbearable, the entire side of her swollen face throbbing.  Her eye began to swell, causing difficulty to be able to see out of it.  She spit out a mouthful of blood, glaring at the man before her.

 

 

Neither said anything for a few moments before the man before her began to laugh.  Kagome’s eyes widened, unsure of why he would suddenly lose his mind. 

 

 

“You’re feisty, I’ll give you that,” he said, wiping the sweat off his brow.  He walked towards Kagome once more, idly playing with her hair.  “You know, you remind me of my wife, she was feisty too…”

 

 

“You don’t say,” Kagome snarled back.

 

 

“Yeah, like a good horse though, I had to break her.  She’s a sweet little submissive thing now though… however, there are times when I still miss the fight…”  he whispered as he lifted her chin to look into his face.  He had a dark grin which made Kagome nervous.  “You just need some breaking too, I think…”

 

 

He leaned in and kissed her, Kagome too startled to do anything.  When the kiss broke, he had a dark grin on his face.  “You know… I may still tarnish the goods… just to see the bastards face when he finds out…”

 

 

Kagome felt her heart sink, she didn’t want this man touching her in any way, and now she was assuming that he was talking about raping her.  

 

 

“Don’t you touch me, you bastard!” she hissed, causing a chuckle to escape his lips once more.

 

 

“I’m not the bastard, my brother is.  A useless, crying bastard…” he whispered, his hand tracing her jaw.  He stood up and turned away, walking over to a bag that he had brought with him.  Kagome saw that it was late morning, wondering if the police had found a trail to find her yet.  She wondered if Yashiro’s mother would be called into questioning, and most of all, she wondered what Yashiro was doing to try to find her.

 

 

Yashiro’s brother, whom she was just referring to as the man for now, came back with a noose, causing fear to grip her heart once more.  

 

 

He put the noose around her neck, tightening it so it wasn’t quite choking her, but it was making it difficult to breathe.  

 

 

“Now, I’m going to untie you, but if you try to run, I’m pulling the noose so tight that you’ll never breathe again,” he warned her, causing her to slowly nod.  He moved behind her and untied the knot holding her torso in place.  She felt the ropes come loose, and a moment later she felt cold metal on her wrists and a low clicking sound, telling her that he upgraded to handcuffs on her wrists.  He moved to her front, pulling out shackles and putting them on her ankles before untying her feet. 

 

 

He pulled hard on the noose, forcing her to her feet.  She felt herself choke, breathing becoming more difficult.  She was gasping for air through a crushed windpipe, feeling her face turn red from the lack of air.  

 

 

He roughly tugged on the rope, forcing her to struggle against it, until they reached a table.  He grabbed her by the hair, forcing her to bend over onto the table. She could feel the cold metal against her swollen face, a tear springing from her eye.  She let out a sob, still struggling to breathe.

 

 

“Oh, you’re not crying are you?” he cooed, his hand moving up her bare leg to under her skirt.  “The fun hasn’t even started yet…”  He pressed his crotch to her behind, letting her feel how excited he was.  She felt more sobs rise in her throat, fearing the worst.  He rubbed her hips slowly, tormenting her. 

 

 

“Please… don’t…” she cried.  It was becoming harder to breathe… She could feel his hands move down her hips to go up her skirt, causing another sob to escape her quivering lips.  Her entire body was shaking in fear, afraid of what was going to happen next. 

 

 

“Mmm, but you’re so delectable… I can see why my brother fancies you…”  He reached under her skirt, feeling her entrance through the thin fabric of the panties.  “Hmm, you’re not very wet… this is probably going to hurt… If this were my bastard brother, you’d probably be sopping wet… wouldn't you?”

 

 

“Please… don’t do it…” she begged, her voice choking.  He tightened the noose, causing her to choke, barely able to get any air at all.

 

 

She felt him let go of her, but when she tried to stand up, he shoved her head harshly into the table once more.

 

 

“Did I say you could get up?” he threatened.  She sobbed, causing him to chuckle.  He let her go again, Kagome too afraid to move.  A moment later she heard a whip, as if he were testing his arm.

 

 

“How many lashes do you think I should do?” he asked her, causing fear to rise in her throat.  “One for every year that bastard was alive?  So, twenty eight?  That sounds about fair.  Or how many movies he’s made?  I think he’s made one hundred fifty movies, but I don’t think there’d be any flesh left on that pretty back of yours if I did that many lashes…”

 

 

“Please don’t!” she choked.  “Please, I promise, I won’t say anything to anyone!”

 

 

“Oh, I know you won’t say anything, I’m going to make sure of that,” he told her, raising his arm to ready himself for the first lash…

 

_Crack!_ The first lash ripped her shirt, but her skin was just stinging.  The pain was searing, unbearable.  Her mouth went completely dry with the amount of pain she was in, hoping that he wasn’t going to do it again.  She bit back a scream, only thinking of what would happen next. 

 

 

The man raised his hand again, ready to lower it to lash Kagome again...

 

 

A loud crash could be heard up above, followed by a soft thud.  Kagome couldn’t see what was going on, her vision impaired by her hair and her tears.  She was too afraid to move, so afraid of what was happening. 

 

 

She felt the noose tighten around her neck, pulling her backwards towards the man.  She stumbled to the ground, feeling her air completely cut off at this point.  She felt herself become dizzier as she was gasping for air.

 

 

She didn’t know if it was a trick of her mind, but she could have sworn that…

 

 

“Inuyasha!” she tried to say, but it came out as a hoarse whisper.  She squirmed, trying to get to her feet to move towards him, but she was pulled back, lifted by her hair so her back was to the man’s front, causing Kagome to let out a cry that was strangely inhuman.  She saw Yashiro step forward as well, his hand on a katana, glaring at the man.

 

 

“Kito… let her go,” she heard Yashiro say in a dark voice.

 

 

Kagome’s world went black, unable to hold on any longer...


	25. Bang Bang

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kagome nearly dies, Yashiro and Inuyasha have come to the rescue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YOU READERS ARE THE BEST EVER! Your comments help me get up in the morning! Seriously! There's nothing I love more than waking up to having like ten comments to read ^____^
> 
> The next chapter will be some fan service for a few of the readers who were VERY SPECIFIC about what they wanted to happen. But this story will likely be wrapped up in the next five chapters or so :)
> 
> FREAKING LOVE YOU GUYS!

Inuyasha felt his demon rage surface.  The man standing before him smelled just like the bastard that had orchestrated his and Kikyo’s demise…

 

The human who had fallen in love with a miko, whose essence had drawn hundreds of demons to further corrupt his blackened heart…

 

The human who’s burns haunted his dreams and completely changed the entire course of his life…

 

_Naraku._

How the fuck was this bastard reincarnated? 

 

Inuyasha could see from the corner of his eye how Yashiro shook in rage when he saw Kagome’s form.  She was badly injured, her legs and arms bruised, with a burn mark on her arm.  The back of her shirt was ripped open, likely from the whip that was now lying on the floor. He could see a dark red welt rising on her back. Her clothing was in disarray, making Inuyasha wonder just how far that bastard went with her.  The thought of the man before him having his way with Kagome caused his blood to boil, his inner demon rising to the surface.  He took a good sniff, not smelling any sex, but he could smell the man’s arousal before him, confirming that the intent had been there. 

 

Her face was badly swollen, and now her face was a dark red and she was unconscious.  Her lips were turning a blue color, and he could see that she had maybe a few minutes before she’d die, causing both men to shake in anger. 

 

“Kito, let her go,” Yashiro snarled, his hand on the hilt of his katana.  “She has nothing to do with us.”

 

“She has everything to do with us,” Kito hissed back, holding Kagome’s limp form up by the noose.  “You fucked my wife, you tarnished our family’s good name… You should have never been born!  This girl is just going to tarnish our name further!  You’re forcing my hand, Yashiro!”

 

“I didn’t have a choice in being born, you dumb fuck!” Yashiro yelled.  “Kagome has nothing to do with this, Kito!  This is between you and me!  Let her go!”  


“Fuck off!  You take one step closer and I’ll make sure she dies,” Kito yelled.  “You come an inch closer and I’ll make sure that her pretty little neck snaps in two!  You think I’m afraid to kill this bitch?  She wouldn’t be the first whore I’ve killed, she certainly won’t be the last.”

 

“If she dies, you’re going to wish you were dead,” Inuyasha snarled, letting out a low growl.  He raised his hand and began to crack his knuckles, showing off his claws.  Kito stared at Inuyasha, letting out a laugh, unable to take the dog demon before him seriously.

 

“Where’d you dig up the furry, Yashiro?  Afraid you couldn’t take me yourself?” Kito spat.  If Kagome hadn’t been dying in front of his eyes, if the situation hadn’t been so serious, he might have been able to see the humor in the situation before him.  Inuyasha didn’t know what he meant by “furry,” but he knew it was referring to his dog ears, which further pissed him off.

 

Yashiro pulled the katana out of the sheath, pointing it at Kito.  “Let her go, and I won’t kill you,” he snarled.  Inuyasha saw the rage in Yashiro’s voice, gaining a little bit of respect for him.  Yashiro’s stance was ready to strike at the drop of a pin.  His jaw was set in grim determination, ready to kill the man before him to save the woman he loved.

 

“How about I don’t hand her over, and you watch her suffocate to death?” Kito replied, pulling the rope tighter, if that were possible.  Kagome’s face was turning purple at this point.  She had maybe a few minutes, max.  Inuyasha cracked his knuckles, refusing to use Tetsaiga on a human. 

 

“Why don’t you shut the fuck up and stop hiding behind a woman?” Inuyasha snarled, lunging forward at incredible speed.  He slashed his claws, cutting the rope on Kagome’s neck.  Kagome began to gasp for breath as she fell to the ground.  Inuyasha threw his fist forward, punching Kito straight in the jaw, sending him flying backwards.  Inuyasha lunged forward, throwing his fists at Kito, pounding into him, hearing his bones break beneath his hands.  Yashiro was frozen in place, his mind trying to wrap around what just happened.  He was sure that Kito was the same the surprise on his face evident.  One moment, they were standing off, and the next, Kito was on the ground with several broken bones.

 

Once Kito was unable to stand, Inuyasha moved to be near Kagome, kneeling down.  Yashiro’s brain was still reeling, trying to figure out what was happening.  Inuyasha moved at inhuman speed, Yashiro couldn’t even follow his hands, much less the sounds that came with the sudden thrusts of power that likely broke several bones in Kito’s body.  After it was done, and Kito lay on the ground gasping for air, he saw Inuyasha walk towards Kagome.  He feared for Kagome, wondering what this demon would do to the woman he loved.  He got his sword ready, waiting to strike the demon before him.

 

Kagome was on her hands and knees, coughing and gasping for air.  Her throat was black and blue where the rope was, her breathing ragged.  She felt her vision begin to clear again, her head throbbing from the lack of oxygen.  She looked up and saw Inuyasha’s red robes, tears filling her eyes.

 

“Kagome, are you alright?” Inuyasha asked gently.  He saw that her hands were in contraptions that were chained together.  He moved his claws to break them, the handcuffs falling to the ground in pieces.  Kagome threw her arms around Inuyasha, sobbing into his chest.

 

“Inuyasha!” she cried hoarsely, squeezing him tightly.  He moved his arms around her, squeezing her, being mindful of the lash on her back.  He inhaled her scent, unbelieving that she was wrapped in his arms.  Yashiro was stunned, feeling jealousy rise in his chest.  Inuyasha was being so infinitely gentle with _his_ woman.  Inuyasha was holding _his_ woman.  Kagome was crying into this demons chest, calling his name. 

 

 _She should be calling my name,_ Yashiro thought to himself.  He wanted to slit the demon’s throat, taking him away from Kagome forever.  He had to remind himself that this was bound to happen.  She had been pining for Inuyasha for years, and now that she was reunited with him, he was invisible.    

 

 _He’ll be gone in three days, and Kagome will be yours forever,_ Yashiro told himself.  _Three days she’ll be all over him, and she’ll be yours again…_

But he didn’t want to share Kagome.  He didn’t want this bastard anywhere near his Kagome, much less holding her when it should be him comforting him after this traumatic experience.

 

“Inuyasha, get her out of here,” Yashiro snarled, walking towards his brother.  He was going to give Kagome her time alone with Inuyasha, taking his anger out on his brother. “I’ll take care of him.”

 

Inuyasha nodded, picking up Kagome, who refused to release him.  “What about you?” Inuyasha asked.

 

“I’ll be fine.  Go. Get Kagome somewhere safe.  I’ll meet you back at my apartment later.”

 

“Yashiro!” Kagome cried hoarsely.  Her eyes were sullen, staring at Yashiro, who gave her a gentle smile.

 

“I’ll be fine, just go.”

 

Inuyasha wanted to argue, but he wanted time alone with Kagome, and he wanted to make sure that her wounds were properly cared for, so he carried Kagome out of the warehouse.  It was early morning still, and he leapt into the trees, carrying Kagome close to him, enjoying the feel of her in his arms once more.  He had two more days until he would be taken back to the Sengoku Jidai, so he was going to enjoy all the time with her that he could.

 

He found his way back fairly quickly since he didn’t have to track the scent to find Yashiro’s apartment.  Kagome had a tight grip around Inuyasha’s neck, refusing to let him go.   Inuyasha didn’t want to let her go either, enjoying her scent.  Currently though, he could smell dried blood and he could tell that her throat was badly bruised.  He was sure she was covered in bruises and other injuries, judging by the looks of her.  However, from what he could tell, it was nothing more than bumps and bruises.  Her back wasn’t bleeding, but there was a large welt from the whip. 

 

He put Kagome down on her feet, noticing the shackles around her ankles, making it difficult for her to walk.  He used his claws and broke the shackles, causing the bits of metal to fall to the floor.  He stood up straight, staring at Kagome, whose eyes were refusing to stop leaking tears. 

  
“Do you need some water?” he asked her gently, his hand touching her face.  Her face leaned into his clawed hand, giving a soft smile.

 

“Yeah, I’ll get it,” she said.  She began to walk to the kitchen, Inuyasha following close behind.  She drank two glasses, struggling to swallow from the bruising on her neck.  Her face wasn’t overly swollen, but her left eye was partially shut.  She was afraid to look in the mirror.  She went to the freezer, pulling out an ice pack and pressing it to her face.  Inuyasha’s face was full of concern, staring at the woman he loved for the first time in so long.

 

“Kagome… why didn’t you come back sooner?” he asked her, seeing her avert her gaze.  A thousand emotions ran across her face, unable to properly respond to his question.  What could she tell him?  She had a million reasons why she didn’t go back, and she had a million reasons why she wanted to go back right away. 

 

“I was scared,” she told him, realizing that was the source of her hesitancy.  Her voice was barely above a whisper.  “I was so afraid to see you… and only for such a short time… I was afraid of breaking your heart all over again…”  More tears slipped out of her eyes, causing her to release a sob. 

 

“You can’t break something if it’s already broken, Kagome.  I knew that I’d only get a short time with you, I just wanted to see you one last time and know that you were happy.”  She looked up to see his features had softened, causing her shoulders to shake violently as more sobs escaped her hoarse throat.

 

“Inuyasha…”

 

He leaned down and gently pressed his lips against hers.  She dropped the ice pack and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer, finally feeling the sense of completion she had been longing for. 

 

He deepened the kiss, his tongue begging for entrance into her sweet cavern, which she eagerly accepted.  She let out a soft moan, her body feeling like it was on fire.  Right now, she didn’t care how exhausted or how much pain she was in, she wanted Inuyasha.  She needed Inuyasha, even if it was just this once.  They may never get time alone like this again, and she knew that while it was wrong, there was something about it that was so right.

 

She pushed the image of Yashiro’s face out of mind, knowing that she needed Inuyasha in this exact moment, or she’d regret it for the rest of her life.  She would live with the repercussions of her cheating on Yashiro later, but right now, she needed Inuyasha.  She needed all of him, and she needed him now.

 

Inuyasha’s hand moved under her tattered shirt, feeling the naked flesh beneath his hand.  Her skin felt hot, causing him to let out a soft growl deep in his chest.  Kagome pushed her body flush against his, encouraging him to continue.  After a moment, her hands moved to loosen his robes.  Her hands moved down to untie his hakamas, her lips refusing to part with his.

 

“Kagome---,” he began to stammer, but Kagome cut him off with another kiss, pulling his hips towards hers.  She could feel his excitement, she knew that he desired her just as she desired him.  She knew that with enough coaxing, he would take her to heaven and bring her back down. 

 

“Inuyasha,” she moaned, her hand grasping his erection.  She gasped at his size, she was sure he was as big as Yashiro, if not a little bigger.  Inuyasha let out a groan as her hand began to expertly stroke him, causing a tightness in his loins that he was unfamiliar with. 

He grabbed her wrists, pinning her to the wall behind her, breaking the kiss.  “Kagome, not like this,” he told her, his face stern.  She looked up at him, feeling confusion. 

 

“What do you mean?” she asked, breathless.  She saw him bite his lip.  He was having a hard time concentrating, her lips were swollen and her face was flushed.  The scent of her arousal was overpowering, making him pant and want her more. 

 

“You just experienced something really traumatic…” he tried to explain, mostly convincing himself that it was a bad idea.  “I think you need to take a bath and relax a bit, I need to check on Yashiro and make sure he got out of there okay.”  _What the fuck am I doing?  I don’t give a shit about that bastard._

Kagome’s eyes went wide with fear.  “Yashiro!  I completely forgot about him!  Oh no, do you think he’s alright?!”

 

Inuyasha pulled back, fixing his clothing, cursing himself under his breath.  “Lock the doors, don’t leave and don’t let anyone enter, do you understand?  I’ll check on Yashiro.”  With that, he walked over to the balcony, jumping into the air out of sight. 

 

Kagome sighed, her heart at odds once more.  She felt sore, her body aching.  She went and made sure all the doors were locked, leaving the balcony unlocked for Inuyasha and Yashiro. 

 

She drew a bath, throwing her soiled clothes away.  She stared at her body in the long mirror in the bathroom.  The welt on her back may leave a deep bruise, if not a scar.  The right side of her body was black and blue up and down her arm and leg, while the left side of her face was swollen.  She saw the burn on her arm, and while it was small, she knew that it was going to hurt for some time.  She wanted to cry all over again.  The first time Inuyasha had seen her in six years and she looked like total haggard ass.  She stepped into the bath, wincing at the heat on her bruised body. 

 

She felt her body finally relax, exhaustion taking over.  She was worried about Yashiro, but he was a natural fighter, and Inuyasha was on his way to help.  She knew the two of them together would be a formidable force, so she let herself drift off, dreams of Inuyasha and Yashiro entering her mind.

 

-*-*-

 

Yashiro watched as his brother attempted to get up, holding the sword to his throat.  Kito gave Yashiro a dark look, knocking the sword away from him.

 

“Little brother, it’s been too long,” he said, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth as he struggled to stand up brushed himself off, Yashiro still holding the sword to his throat.

 

 

“What are you trying to pull?” Yashiro growled. 

 

“Just getting a little revenge, by the way, your son is doing just fine,” Kito spat. 

 

“I told you, we did a test, he isn’t mine,” Yashiro replied, pushing the blade into his brother’s neck.  “Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t kill you where you stand.”

 

Suddenly Yashiro heard a click and something pressed to the back of his head. 

 

“Because I’ll blow your brains out if you lay a finger on him,” Akane stated, standing behind Yashiro.

 

Kito gave Yashiro a dark grin as he lowered the katana. 

 

“Akane… I should have known…” Yashiro muttered.

 

“Drop it, and keep your hands up where I can see them,” Akane spat.  Yashiro dropped the katana, raising his hands up to his head, slowly turning to look at Akane.  She wore a black leather jacket over a red button down shirt with a short leather skirt, fishnets and knee high leather boots.  Her lipstick matched her shirt and her hair was straightened and looked long.  He wondered if it was a wig.

           

“What do you have to do with this, Akane?” Yashiro asked, spitting at the ground in front of her.  He kept his glower apparent, pissed off that the two people he hated the most were working against him.

 

“Oh Yashi, you know why I’m here.  Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, isn’t that how the saying goes?” she cooed, stepping closer so the gun was against his head. 

 

“You’re that bent out of shape that I dumped you?” he asked, sarcasm in his voice.

 

“No, I’m bent out of shape because you practically ruined my career.  Everyone loved working with you, and the fact you put me on the do not work list made it damn near impossible for me to get work.  I had to work as a fucking escort for years because of your bad mouthing!” she spat, her anger rising. 

 

“Not my fault you’re a bitch,” he said, rolling his eyes. 

           

“You’re pretty ballsy considering you have a gun against your head,” Akane stated.  “I’ve got all the cards right now.  The fact that you refused to work with me, and you dumped me for that cunt Sachiko.  Now you’re dating some girl who pretends to be so innocent.  She’s not your type, how could that little girl ever satisfy you?”

           

Yashiro smiled.  “It can be fun to teach someone, ever thought of teaching, or would you rather be a whore the rest of your life?  Besides, I don’t think that ruining your career is a warrant for murdering someone.”

 

“Oh, that was my idea,” Kito said, his voice strained.  He slowly limped so he was standing next to Akane. “You see, I think you’re a worthless piece of shit too.  I know you’re not my kid’s dad, but the fact that I had to find out that you slept with my wife and didn’t think anything of it really pisses me off.  My wife wouldn’t stop comparing me to you, and the fact that I had to find out that there was a chance the kid was yours?  How fucking ridiculous is that?  To top it off, you’ve tarnished our father’s good name with your profession and your habits… It makes me fucking sick.  You’re just so _fucking irritating._ ”

 

“So the both of you thought it would be a good idea to murder an innocent bystander?  How fucking genius,” Yashiro remarked.  “Next time, just threaten me, alright?”

 

“That’s cute, you think that there’s going to be a next time.  Someone’s dying today, and it’s not either of us,” Akane remarked.  “I’m sick of this goody two shoes act, I know that you’re still the good for nothing bastard that loves to stir up shit.  You keep it lawful now, but I remember when you were an escort too, and I remember when you were sleeping around on top of it.  Don’t fucking act like you’re so goddamn perfect.”

 

“I never claimed to be perfect, nor did I claim that I wasn’t some sort of trouble maker,” Yashiro said, grinning wide.  He saw a flash of red in the windows behind Kito and Akane.  He knew Inuyasha had come back for him.  He might hate the hanyou, but right now, he knew that the hanyou’s anger was directed far more at the two in front of him than at him. 

 

“Why the fuck are you smiling?” Kito snarled.  Akane looked around and didn’t see anything, turning her attention back to Yashiro. 

 

Yashiro moved his hand quickly, knocking the gun out of Akane’s hand, sending it flying across the warehouse floor.  He kicked Kito hard in the stomach, causing him to double over, leaving Akane standing dumbstruck.  A moment later Inuyasha came crashing down from the ceiling, landing on top of Akane, knocking her out. 

           

“Thanks,” Yashiro said.  Inuyasha glared at him.

 

“You could have done that the whole time?” Inuyasha asked, half yelling.

 

“I had to get their confession on tape,” he replied, pulling out his phone.  The entire conversation they had had been recorded.  “That should lock them away for a while.”

 

Inuyasha turned his head to the side.  “What do you mean, tape?”

 

“Record.  I can play exactly what they said, look, it’s complicated…” Yashiro said, realizing that explaining modern technology to someone from five hundred years ago might be a bit difficult. 

           

While he was talking to Inuyasha, he didn’t see that Kito had crawled over to the gun.  Kito picked up the gun, aiming it at Yashiro. 

           

Yashiro turned to look, only to be met by the sound of a loud bang, and searing pain.


	26. Final Words

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kagome waits at the hospital with Inuyasha, waiting to find out what happens next.

_Kagome was on her back, clawed hands moving up her naked flesh, causing electricity to run through her body.  His mouth was hot on hers, his fangs lightly nipping at her bottom lip, his tongue wrestling hers for dominance._

_His clawed hand massaged the mound of flesh, teasing the rosy peak that hardened at his touch.  She let out a soft moan, her hips grinding into his, silently begging him to make her his.  Her back was arched to his well-muscled body, feeling his excitement against her stomach.  She knew that he could take her to heaven, letting her body reach heights only achieved in novels.  His mouth moved down her face, nipping at her neck, causing moans to escape her lips.  He began to massage her breast harder, pulling at her nipple, causing her body to feel like it was on fire.  She was naked beneath him, feeling the roughness of his wool robes, his silver hair cascading over them in a shroud, giving them intimate privacy._

_His hair moved down her body, tickling her flesh, as his mouth kissed down her chest.  His mouth felt hot against her breast, taking her nipple into his mouth, sucking gently while his fangs nipped gently.  The pinch from his fangs sent fire to her stomach, knowing that she was dripping wet for him.  He let a low growl of satisfaction rumble deep within his chest, the vibrations giving Kagome courage to move to rub his ears._

_“Inuyasha,” she moaned softly, her hands then moving to rub her clit, feeling how slick she was from his caresses.  He moaned on her breast, sucking harder as his other hand massaged with more force.  He began to roll her nipple between his fingers, tugging at the hardened peak, causing more moans to escape her throat.  His mouth and hands moved down her body, memorizing every curve, every blemish, every freckle.  He kissed her flat stomach, admiring her.  He reached the junction between her legs, diving his face in, lapping up her juices.  She moved her hand, moving her hips so he had full access to her center.  His tongue darted out, toying with the nub of nerves, his tongue swirling around it, causing her to cry out._

_His hands moved to hold her hips, holding her in place as he gorged himself on her sweet nectar, feeling her squirm beneath his touch._

_She felt new hands touch her breasts, massaging them.  When she opened her eyes, she looked into the face of Yashiro, but before she could protest, he captured her mouth with his own.  Inuyasha continued to go down on her, causing her body to create the familiar build up, as Yashiro’s tongue wrestled with her own, toying with the mounds of flesh that were so reactive to his touch.  She moaned out, her body overloaded with sensations.  She clenched the sheets as she felt her body reach the breaking point.  She cried out into Yashiro’s mouth as her body convulsed in tremors of pleasure.  Inuyasha lapped up all of her juices, moaning into her center, causing her body to continue to ride out the orgasm._

_Yashiro broke the kiss, taking off his shirt, watching Kagome’s flushed face as Inuyasha began to cause her body to build up once more.  His tongue darted inside of her, tasting her core.  Yashiro unzipped his pants, letting his erection spring free.  He kneeled close to Kagome’s face, where she sat up and greedily took his cock into her mouth.  She sucked hard, causing Yashiro to moan out, her tongue swirling around the tip as she moved her head to take most of his length.  She could feel him at the back of her throat, swallowing to take all of him down her throat.  He began to thrust his cock into her throat, causing her to moan out._

_Inuyasha’s tongue continued to thrust inside of her, feeling her legs clench around his head as he brought her to the brink once more.  Her body began to shiver in pleasure once more, unable to cry out from the cock in her throat.  Inuyasha moved up, placing himself at her entrance, thrusting inside of her quickly._

_He was so large, stretching her out farther than she had been stretched out before.  He began to frantically thrust inside of her, hitting her barrier deep inside with each thrust.  The pain felt so good, causing her body to clench around his fat cock.  Yashiro continued to thrust inside her mouth, pulling her hair back, holding her head in place as he moved his hips rhythmically._

_A moment later, he pulled himself out of her mouth, a whimper escaping her lips as she frantically grabbed Yashiro’s cock, pumping its impossible size in her small hand._

_“Oh god, don’t stop!” she cried as Inuyasha continued to thrust inside of her.  Yashiro backed up out of her reach, pumping his own cock as he watched her be pounded into, turning her on more.  Inuyasha picked her up, never taking himself out of her, moving so she was riding him, holding her hips so he could thrust into her.  Yashiro moved behind her, teasing her ass as he slapped it playfully._

_Yashiro forced her forward, so her head rested against Inuyasha’s neck as he placed himself behind her.  She felt him stretch her ass, a cry escaping her lips.  He entered her slowly as Inuyasha continued to frantically pound into her.  Her body felt so impossibly full, but there was no pain.  The feeling was amazing, feeling so full.  Yashiro began to pick up the pace, coming close to matching Inuyasha’s pace as both men pounded into her, her screams at impossible decibels._

_“Fuck me!  Fuck me harder!” she cried, Yashiro pounding his full length into her, Inuyasha pounding into her with impossible strength.  She felt her body build up stronger than she had ever felt before, her hands clenching the sheets beneath her, unable to control the cries that escaped her throat._

_She was right there, right at the brink of going to heaven and back again, feeling her body so tight with pent up passion, feeling the only two men in her life that mattered pound into her…_

 

“Ah!” she said, waking up in the bathtub.  Her body was still sore and bruised, her throat hoarse from the screaming and the noose.  She touched her neck and it felt incredibly tender to the touch. 

 

A dark blush graced her cheeks, realizing that she had been having an incredible dream about Inuyasha and Yashiro.  She knew that with how jealous each man was, there was no way that her fantasy could ever be a reality…

 

The bath water had become cold at this point, causing her to slowly get out of the tub.  Her body was so sore, making it difficult to walk.  She patted herself dry, putting on a bath robe and walking towards the bedroom.  It was early afternoon, Inuyasha and Yashiro hadn’t returned yet.  She felt her heart sink. 

 

“Oh Yashiro, I hope you’re alright,” she muttered under her breath.  She went into the kitchen to make herself a cup of tea, taking some ibuprofen to ease with the pain.  She checked her phone and saw that there were multiple missed calls, all from Yashiro.  He must have been calling her all last night, trying to figure out where she was. 

 

She called Yashiro’s phone, but there was no answer.  She stared out the window, fear clenching her heart. 

 

-*-*-

 

Inuyasha darted forward, taking the gun from Kito’s shaking hands.  He punched Kito hard in the jaw, knocking him out cold.  Yashiro was on the ground, clutching his side that was gushing blood.  His breathing was shallow, his side in searing pain. 

 

He didn’t want to die like this.

 

He didn’t want to die.

 

But the loss of blood was making him light headed.  He was applying pressure to the wound, but the blood wouldn’t stop escaping his body.

 

Inuyasha stared in horror as Yashiro slowly panicked over the gunshot wound.  “You alright?”

 

“I was just fucking shot, what the hell do you think?” Yashiro snapped.  “Help me get my shirt off.”

 

Inuyasha walked over to Yashiro, pulling the shirt off of him, where Yashiro bunched it up and pressed it into the wound, biting back the pain.  He was able to staunch the wound, but it continued to bleed.  There was no exit wound, telling him the bullet was still in him.  The hole was smallish, letting him know that it was a pretty small gun.  However, the pain was unbearable. 

 

“Inuyasha listen to me,” Yashiro said.  “I need you to carry me back to the apartment.”

 

Inuyasha stared at Yashiro.  “I don’t know if I can carry you like this,” he said.  Yashiro laid back, gasping for breath.  He needed to stay conscious.  He was fighting with his mind to not pass out, his body wanting so much to succumb to the comfortable darkness. 

 

“Fine, let me see what I can do,” Yashiro said.  He pulled out his phone and saw that Kagome had called him only moments before.  He smiled, knowing that she was thinking of him.  He dialed the emergency number, a moment later a dispatcher picked up.

 

“I’ve been shot.  I’m in a warehouse on the north side of Tokyo.  It’s abandoned.  The man who shot me is unconscious, the woman who brought the gun is also unconscious.  I’m losing a lot of blood, I need help.”

 

He gave the dispatcher directions and hung up the phone. 

 

“Well?” Inuyasha asked.

 

“They’re going to be here as soon as they’re able.  Listen, you can’t be here when they show up, it would raise too many questions.  I need you to make sure that neither of them wake up, but don’t kill them,” he emphasized.  “I need those fuckers alive, as much as I hate to admit it.”

 

Inuyasha saw that Akane was stirring, so he went over and punched her hard in the face once more, knocking her out cold.  Kito wasn’t moving, barely breathing.  Yashiro chuckled when he saw Inuyasha punch Akane.

 

“I’ve always wanted to punch that cunt,” Yashiro muttered, his breathing getting shallow.  “Inuyasha… I want you to go back to Kagome once help arrives, and I want you to tell her what happened.”

 

“If I tell her that you were hurt, she’s never going to forgive herself,” he told her, crouching down beside Yashiro. 

 

“She needs to know that she’s safe now,” he gasped.  “Tell her I love her, in case I don’t make it…”

 

“Shut the fuck up, you’re going to be just fine,” Inuyasha told him, glaring.  However, he could tell that Yashiro was fighting to stay awake.  Inuyasha put pressure on the wound, causing Yashiro to moan out.

 

“No, Inuyasha… I know you’re only here for a couple days… but please, for those days, make Kagome happy… Give her memories that can last her a lifetime,” Yashiro pleaded.

 

“Shut up, you’re not dying, not like this,” Inuyasha spat.  “You can make Kagome happy yourself when you get mended up.”

 

Yashiro laughed.  “You know, when we made love once, she said your name.  God, it pissed me off.”

 

Inuyasha’s eyes went wide with surprise.  “She did?”

 

“Yeah, when she’s asleep she says your name a lot too.  I think she dreams of you every night.  When she’s alone, she cries for you.  She goes to the well and cries at the well, talking to you.  She had been trying to get back to you nonstop until she and I met.”

 

Inuyasha looked away, feeling guilty.  He thought that she had abandoned him, but he was realizing she missed him as much as he had missed her. 

 

“I fucking hated you from the moment I learned your name.  I’ve been trying to win her over, I’ve been so in love with her… and I’ve had to fight for her affection with you, who’s been stuck in the past…”

 

Inuyasha turned and looked at Yashiro.  “I saw a vision of the two of you together… having sex,” Inuyasha said, his voice flat.  “I wanted to rip your throat out when I met you.  I could smell her arousal on you, which really made me mad.”

 

Both men laughed.  “She told me that she thinks I’m your reincarnation…”

 

Inuyasha nodded.  “I had a hard time smelling you, because your scent smells like mine when I’m human.  Considering our resemblance, and how she fell for you, it wouldn’t surprise me.  I’m glad that I got to have her in my next life.”

 

Yashiro felt himself grow dizzier.  His vision was starting to black out in spots, causing fear to grip his heart.  “Listen, they’re going to take me to the hospital, I’ll text Kagome which one, and if I survive this, I want you to know that I’ll take care of her.  She’ll never be lonely again.”

 

Inuyasha nodded.  “You’ll keep her happy?”

 

“I’ll do my best.”

 

Inuyasha smiled, squeezing Yashiro’s hand.  “Just to warn you, she’s got a nasty fuckin’ temper.”

 

Yashiro began to laugh.  “Oh yeah, I know.  I’ve pissed her off multiple times.”

 

Both men chuckled.  Inuyasha could smell people nosing around the building.  “I think your help is here,” Inuyasha told Yashiro.  “I’ll wait by the windows to make sure they take care of you, alright?”

 

Yashiro nodded.  “Inuyasha… thank you.”

 

“Keh, don’t mention it.”

 

Inuyasha jumped into the rafters, a moment later paramedics and police with guns drawn entering the warehouse.  Paramedics rushed to Yashiro, putting a mask over his mouth and nose, slowly pulling the soiled shirt from his wound.  Inuyasha watched as the men with guns put handcuffs on Akane and Kito, both of which were starting to regain consciousness. 

 

Inuyasha lept into the skies, heading back to Kagome.  The afternoon sun was starting to sit low in the sky, telling him that night would be upon them soon.  He had maybe two days left with Kagome, which would likely be spent worrying about Yashiro. 

 

Inuyasha smiled to himself, although he hated to admit it, he was kind of liking Yashiro.  He very obviously cared about Kagome.  His face lit up when he spoke about her, and he could tell that Kagome truly loved him too.  He didn’t want to admit it, but Kagome would be better off to move on…

 

He could rest easy, knowing that Kagome was taken care of, that she had someone who loved her and wanted to be with her for the rest of her life.  Yashiro was going to continue to fight for Kagome.  He knew that she was in love with someone else, yet he continued to fight for her.  He even summoned the man that she loved in order to make sure that she would be safe.  He doesn’t know if he would even do that, knowing that he reincarnated into a better version of himself. 

 

He landed on the balcony, Kagome rushing to open the glass door to let him in.

 

“Is he alright?” Kagome asked, her face filled with worry.  She was wearing shorts and a tank top, the clothes clinging to her every curve.  Her voice was less hoarse, and he could see the bruises on her arms and legs.  She had a bandage where the burn was, and her throat had dark bruising on it.  She smelled clean, her hair still damp from her bath.  Her eye wasn’t as swollen as it was earlier, the bruise not too dark on her face. 

 

“He was… what was the word he used?  Shot?” Inuyasha stated, Kagome’s face going pale.

 

“Oh no… did he…?” she began to ask, her lips trembling with fear.

 

“No, he’s alive, but he’s in rough shape.  He’s going to a hospital.  Help arrived, and I kept those bastards alive because he told me to,” Inuyasha said, looking to the side.  He wanted to rip the throats out of those two humans, but he had been prevented from doing so. 

 

Kagome fell to her knees, a sob rising in her throat.  “He’s alive…” she whispered, burying her face in her hands as she began to sob.

 

“Why are you crying?!” Inuyasha asked, frantic.

 

“BECAUSE HE WAS HURT, YOU STUPID JERK!” she roared. 

 

Inuyasha crouched down, placing his hand on her back.  “Kagome, he’s going to be fine.  He’ll live.  I promise,” Inuyasha coaxed, hoping he wasn’t lying to her.  Yashiro was in pretty rough shape when he left.

 

Kagome heard her phone ring, causing her to run over and pick it up.  “Yashiro!  Are you alright?!” she cried into the phone.

 

“Are you Kagome Higurashi?” a woman on the other end said.

 

“Oh, yes, this is her,” Kagome said, trying to level her voice.

 

“You’ve been listed as Yashiro Nagasaki’s next of kin.  He was brought into our hospital, undergoing emergency surgery.  He’s been shot in the side.  Are you able to come to the hospital?”

 

“Yes, I’m on my way, which hospital?”  she said, grabbing a pen and paper.

 

She wrote down the hospital, hanging up the phone shortly thereafter.  “Inuyasha, can you take me to the hospital?”

 

Inuyasha rolled his eyes, he was never going to have an alone moment with Kagome.  “Yeah, come on.”

 

Kagome grabbed a ball cap, putting it over Inuyasha’s ears, much to his distaste, and they leapt off the balcony, flying across Tokyo.

 

They landed in the emergency room parking lot, Kagome running to the entrance of the hospital. 

 

“I’m Kagome Higurashi, I’m here for Yashiro Nagasaki, and he’s in emergency surgery!” she gasped, Inuyasha following close behind.

 

“Goodness, what happened to your neck!?” the receptionist exclaimed. 

 

“Never mind me, tell me if he’s alright!” she demanded, shoving her fist down on the table.

 

The receptionist pulled up his chart.  “He’s still in surgery, he’ll be in there a while.  We’ll send out a doctor to let you know what’s going on when it’s over.”

 

Kagome went to the waiting room, sitting with Inuyasha.  They sat in silence, Kagome on edge.  She saw two police officers glance over at Kagome, one of them approaching Kagome.

 

“I’m sorry, did you say you were here for Yashiro Nagasaki?” the officer asked.

 

“Yes, why?” she asked.

 

“We got a report yesterday that you went missing, but now you’re here,” the officer said, taking notice of her bruises, glancing over at Inuyasha.

 

“Yeah, and you didn’t believe him when he said I went missing.  He saved me.  Kito Nagasaki and Akane Amaya kidnapped me and dragged me to a warehouse.  Kito strangled me with a noose, hence the bruising.”

 

The police officer pulled out his notepad.  “Around what time were you kidnapped?”

 

Kagome thought about it.  “Around seven pm.  Akira Takahashi drugged me and I woke up several hours later.  I don’t know what time I woke up.”

 

The police officer continued to write down names.  “What’s your relationship to Yashiro Nagasaki?”

 

Kagome thought about it.  “He’s my fiancé,” she said.  “We’re getting married next year.”

 

She thought that she might be jumping the gun, but she knew that once Yashiro knew that she had accepted his proposal, he’d probably jump out of the hospital bed and drag her to the courthouse to get married before she changed her mind. 

 

“What about Kito Nagasaki?”

 

“I have no relationship to him, but he’s Yashiro’s older brother, at least I think,” she said.  The police officer wrote down all the information. 

 

“Can I get your phone number, in case I need to interrogate you more?” the police officer asked.

 

Kagome gave him his number, going to sit back down with Inuyasha.

 

“So, you’re going to marry him?” Inuyasha asked, disappointment evident in his voice. 

 

Kagome shrugged.  “Only if he survives this.  He’s been begging me to marry him for months now,” she explained.  She reached out and squeezed Inuyasha’s hand.  “But, a certain hanyou will always have a firm grip on my heart.”

 

Inuyasha smiled at that, both of them waiting to hear about Yashiro’s fate. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To the fans who BEGGED for a threesome... you're welcome.
> 
> I did it. And I feel really dirty. 
> 
> Kagome's apparently a slut in her dreams.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed this chapter!


	27. Souls entwined

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yashiro's in the hospital, Kagome and Inuyasha finally face each other's feelings.

Kagome and Inuyasha waited in the emergency room lobby for several hours, not hearing anything about Yashiro.  Kagome, refusing to let go of Inuyasha’s hand, began to fear the worst.  The surgery should have been done by now, and she hadn’t heard anything yet.  Inuyasha sat impatiently, fidgeting with his claws and looking up at the television screen disinterested. 

 

 

He knew Kagome was worried about Yashiro, just as he was.  He didn’t really care for him, but he knew that he was his own reincarnation and he didn’t want to see Kagome being left alone again.  Yashiro dying would surely destroy Kagome, and she had had enough heartache in the past few years to last a lifetime.

 

 

Inuyasha watched as people waited, coming in with injuries and waiting to be seen.  He couldn’t help but feel like many of the people could shake off the injuries, but there were some where he wondered if they would live at all.

 

He watched Kagome, who constantly was wringing her hands and looking anxiously at the double doors to where Yashiro was likely at.  He could tell by the look on her face that she deeply loved him, even if she didn’t realize it herself yet.  She looked at the double doors, trying to see past to see Yashiro, in the same way that she would look at him when she was scared in battle.  Kagome had always worn her heart on her sleeve, and this particular evening was no exception.

 

 

He saw a tall man in a white coat step out from two doors, wearing blue pants and a blue shirt, with pens in his pocket and glasses on his face.  His hair was combed over to the side and he had dark circles under his eyes, likely from exhaustion.  He held a clipboard and spoke, looking over the crowd of people in the lobby.

 

 

“Kagome Higurashi?” he called, Kagome jumping up and running over to him.

 

 

“That’s me,” she said.  “Is he okay?”

 

 

The doctor smiled.  “He’s going to be just fine.  He’s just woken up from surgery if you’d like to go see him now.”

 

 

Kagome’s face showed visible relief.  Inuyasha could hear everything that was said between the two.  

 

 

“Before you go in, you should know that the bullet ripped apart his side petty bad.  We had to do some reconstruction in his abdomen.  Luckily, no vital organs were hit but he’s going to be in a lot of pain for a while.”

 

 

“Is there anything I should be aware of?” Kagome asked, wringing her hands.  She really wanted to see Yashiro.

 

 

“Just that he needs to take it easy for the next month or so, then he’ll be back to normal,” the doctor said.  “If you’d just follow me.”

 

 

Kagome turned to look at Inuyasha, giving him a worried glance.  He held his hand up, shooing her away, silently giving her permission to check on Yashiro.  

 

 

Kagome entered the hospital room, the sterile smell hitting her nose hard.  She saw the white linens on the bed with a thin blanket over Yashiro’s body, a large bandage around his abdomen.  His chest was bare, IV’s hooked up to his arm.  He looked awake, but he didn’t seem like he was quite all there.

 

 

“The sedatives are still wearing off, but he should be back to normal shortly,” the doctor said, stepping out of the room to give the young couple some privacy.

 

Yashiro stared at Kagome for a long time, taking in her appearance.  She wore a tank top that was like a second skin and shorts that she usually wore to bed.  The bruising on her neck had gone down, her eye wasn’t as swollen as it had been, her hair fell in soft, natural waves around her face.  Even though she was rough for wear, she was still breathtaking to him.  Most of all, when she saw him, he saw a million emotions run across her face.  Mostly he saw worry, he saw love, he saw concern, but most of all, he saw guilt. 

 

 

“You’re here,” he said, surprised.  “I thought you’d be with Inuyasha.”  He saw her blush, avoiding his gaze.  He realized that he probably sounded a bit accusatory, cursing himself under his breath.

 

 

“I heard you were in the hospital and came right away, I couldn’t sit at home and wait to hear back,” she said, staring at her feet.  “I was really worried about you, you know.”

 

 

He gave her a smile, reaching his hand out to hold hers.  She placed her hand in his, giving it a gentle squeeze.  He gently pulled her to him so she sat next to him on the bed, being mindful of the tubes surrounding them.

 

 

“I’m glad you’re here,” he whispered.  “I see your bruising isn’t as bad as it was.”  She touched her throat, still tender from the bruising from the noose.

 

 

“Yeah, I think I’m healing rather quickly, even my eye isn’t swollen anymore,” she said, letting out a soft laugh.

 

 

He smiled, squeezing her hand harder.  “The doctor told me that my fiancé was waiting for me in the lobby,” he told her, seeing her cheeks turn red.  “I didn’t know I had a fiancé.  I asked him if he was mistaken, but he told me that the woman waiting for me stated she was engaged to me.”

 

 

His eyes stared into hers, his face having turned serious.  She bit her bottom lip, unsure of how to answer him.

 

 

“Well apparently you do,” she whispered.  

 

 

“Are you telling me that you’ll marry me after all?” he asked her, his thumb rubbing the back of her hand.  His voice was soft, almost pleading with her to say yes.  He could hear the heartrate monitor speed up, betraying his nerves.

 

 

“If you survive this whole ordeal, then yes,” she finally said after several moments of silence.  

 

 

“Oh, it’s conditional?” he said, mischief twinkling in his eyes.  

 

 

“Everything is conditional, you know that,” she said, lightly hitting his leg.  He let out a chuckle, leaning back into the pillows. 

 

 

“I suppose I better heal up fast so you don’t change your mind,” he told her, a smug grin on his face.  “Maybe I should buy you a ring today so you can’t back out.”

 

 

“Well the doctor said it’d be at least a month before you’re even remotely close to being back to normal,” she reminded him.  He leaned forward, his hand moving to tangle in her hair, pulling her to his lips, capturing her mouth with his own. 

 

 

“Give me two weeks, and I’ll be as good as new,” he whispered against her lips.  She didn’t move, afraid to move.  He saw how nervous she was, pulling back.

 

 

He leaned back into the pillows, obvious pain on his face from the sudden movement.  She shook her head in disbelief.

 

 

“I can tell that you’re practically good as new now, considering you’re already acting like your old self,” she remarked.  He chuckled, but it wasn’t as light hearted as it was a moment ago.  “I’ll let you get your rest.  Inuyasha is only here for another day and a half…”

 

 

He turned his head to look out the window, his hand refusing to let hers go.  “What happens between you and Inuyasha over the next two days… I don’t want to ever hear about it.  I’ll pretend nothing between you two happens, and I want you to get the closure you need.”

 

 

Her jaw dropped, his voice sounded so grave when he said it.  “Yashiro…”

 

 

“However,” he said, turning his face to look at hers, his eyes intense.  “No more tears, alright?  Inuyasha and I made amends, we agreed your happiness comes first, so I don’t want you crying nonstop because you can’t see him anymore.  Deal?”

 

 

Kagome thought about it, avoiding Yashiro’s gaze.  “I’ll try,” she finally stated. 

 

 

He squeezed her hand.  “I think when he goes this time, it’ll be different,” he told her.  “I’m fairly certain I am his reincarnation.  But we are pretty different,” he admitted, shrugging.  She let out a laugh.

 

 

“You both are so different… but in other ways, you’re the same.  You’d both do anything to save me, and you both seem to love me….”

 

 

He smiled.  “Yeah, we both love you a lot.”

 

 

“And you’re both possessive of me,” she commented, thinking of the other ways they were alike. She heard him give a soft chuckle.

 

“Well, yeah, of course we are.  Have you seen how guys look at you?”  She gave him a quizzical look, deciding to ignore his comment.

 

She leaned in, giving a peck on the lips.  “I’ll see you in a couple days.  Take it easy, alright?  If you need something, give me a call, I’ll come right away.”

 

 

He nodded, giving her a soft smile.  She left the room, walking back to the hospital lobby to see Inuyasha waiting, his foot tapping impatiently.  She smiled, tears welling up in her eyes.  She had missed him so much over the last few years, and now here he was, waiting for her.  She realized that she had been selfish to make him wait so long.   When she got back to the apartment with him, she was going to make all of his waiting worthwhile.

 

 

She blushed at the thought, feeling a pang of guilt.  However, Yashiro had given his blessing, stating he would pretend nothing happened.  She figured he knew what would happen between them, but she wasn’t even sure what would happen.  She doesn’t know if Inuyasha had a desire to do anything intimate with her, but she knew that he loved her, and maybe he would just want to talk.

 

 

In this way, she knew that Yashiro and Inuyasha were two different individuals.   If she and Yashiro went more than a day without seeing each other, their clothes were flying across the room.  Inuyasha and Kagome had one moment of brief intimacy, and he stopped it.  She knew that if it had been Yashiro, he would have waited to tell her until after they had both been sufficiently satisfied.

 

 

“Hey, is he alright?” Inuyasha asked once he spotted Kagome.  She quickly wiped the tears out of her eyes, giving a soft chuckle.

 

 

“Yeah, he’s fine.  He told me that we should go home and enjoy each other before you leave,” she said.  He gave her a concerned look.

 

 

“Why are you crying?” he asked her gently, reaching to touch her hand.

 

 

“Oh, I’m just overly emotional.  It’s been a long day,” she said.  “Come on, let’s go.”

 

 

The walked out of the hospital, Kagome climbing onto his back once they were out of view, leaping into the night sky.

 

 

The sun was starting to rise, Kagome feeling more exhausted with each passing moment.  She felt herself drift off to sleep while they were flying through the Tokyo sky, the horizon turning a brilliant shade of orange as the sun began to rise.

 

 

Inuyasha landed on the balcony with a soft thud, causing Kagome to wake.  She slid off his back, entering the apartment with Inuyasha close behind.  When the balcony doors were closed, Kagome took Inuyasha’s hand and silently led him to the bedroom.  She wanted to be with him, even if it was just once, so she could show him just how much she cared for him.  Her body felt tired, but she didn’t want to spend her precious time with Inuyasha asleep.  She wanted to spend it awake, with him, wrapped in his arms.  She wanted there to be heated sighs and light caresses, sweet nothings being whispered in each other’s ears. 

 

 

She pulled him into an embrace, his arms naturally wrapped tightly around her.  No words were spoken, she just nestled into his arms, her face resting on his firm chest.  She inhaled his scent deeply, the smell of pine and musk mingling in her nostrils, putting her in a type of trance.  Her hands moved up his chest, her arms wrapping around his neck, pulling him down so that their lips touched. 

 

 

The kiss was so infinitely gentle, just a light graze of lips touching, but there was so much emotion behind it.  She could feel all of Inuyasha’s love for her in that kiss, feeling him open his heart to her, offering it to her on a silver platter.  She felt the years of loneliness intermingled in his heart, begging for her to accept him as he was, even if it was for only one day. 

 

 

The kiss broke, their foreheads touching as they stood, both unsure of how to move forward.  His arms were wrapped tightly around her waist, their bodies flush against one another.  They would never have time like this again, both wanting to savor the moment of being in each other’s arms.  

 

 

“Kagome,” he whispered, squeezing her tighter.  

 

“Inuyasha,” she whispered back, her arms growing tighter around his neck.  She felt a tear slip from her eye, the emotions of the moment overwhelming her.  

 

 

Neither of them moved for several minutes, just standing and holding one another, making up for the time they had lost and savoring the memory for the years to come.  Finally, Inuyasha leaned in and brushed his lips against hers once more, a little more pressure than the kiss before.  She felt her body react to him in a way she had never reacted to anyone.  Her body longed to be near him, her skin feeling like it was on fire.  She desired him like she had desired no man before.  She didn’t know if it was because she had been pining for him for so long, or because their souls were so involved with each other, begging to be made as one.

 

 

Her hands moved to open his robes, slowly moving over his heated flesh.  His skin was soft beneath her fingertips.  She could feel his heart beating as fast as a hummingbird's wings, fluttering with anticipation.  He deepened the kiss, his tongue begging for entrance into her mouth.  She let him in, tasting him, fire racing through her body.  His robes fell off his shoulders, her hands moving down to untie his hakamas, slowly, deliberately.  He moved his hands under her shirt, feeling her soft skin tremble beneath his claws.  They were like two virgins, nervously exploring each other’s bodies for the first time, entranced in each other. 

 

 

She finally got the knot untied, his hakamas falling to the floor, leaving him naked before her.  His claws traced her flesh, causing shivers to run up her spine.  He was so gentle, moving across her body so slowly.  His lifted her shirt over her head, breaking the kiss only for a second before he was on her once more.  His hands moved to the shorts she was wearing, slowly pulling them over her hips and letting them drop to the floor.  They stood before each other, naked, their arms wrapped around each other once more.  He moved her so she was laying on the bed, gently laying her down on her back.  He moved to kiss her jaw, down to her neck, his tongue darting out to taste her sweet flesh.  He was mindful of the bruising on her neck, almost kissing the injury better, willing it to heal with the love he was offering.

 

 

She let out a soft sigh, feeling him move so slowly over her body, leaving a trail of feather-light kisses.  His mouth felt hot on her body, his skin moving across hers, sending electricity across her body.  His mouth reached her rosy peak, taking it into his mouth and sucking gently, his tongue darting out to tease the hardened nub beneath him.  She let out a soft moan as his other hand moved to massage the other mound of flesh, his fingers lightly pinching it.  He took such care in ensuring he was gentle, so opposite from his normal gruff demeanor.  He was just as she imagined, taking perfect care in her pleasure. 

 

 

He moved back up her body, kissing her collarbone, her neck, her lips.  He kissed her with a hunger that surprised them both, his body in need to be encompassed in her warmth.  She felt him place himself at her entrance, his tip teasing and tantalizing her. 

 

 

She moved her hand down to squeeze him gently, causing him to let out a soft moan.  She guided him to her entrance, where he slowly entered her, inch by inch.  He kissed her, feeling her completely encompass him.  He stretched her out farther than she had ever been stretched before, feeling him hit her barrier deep inside as he began to slowly rock inside her.  His lips never parted hers, his arms on either side of her, holding her close to his body.

 

A tear slipped from her eyes, knowing that this would never happen again.  She tried to just enjoy the moment, feeling so close to Inuyasha, but her emotions were on such high alert.  Inuyasha felt her tears, kissing them away.  Before he realized it, he was also crying, both of them salting the sheets with their tears.  Her arms wrapped tight around his neck, her legs around his waist, pulling him as close to her as she possibly could, giving him her heart, her soul, her everything.  She wanted him to know that her heart would always, in some way, belong to the half-demon before her. 

 

“Kagome,” he whispered, kissing her tear away.  She buried her face in his neck, her hips matching his slow thrusts.  Their bodies were flush, flesh grinding against flesh, their souls intertwined in their love making that was slow and deliberate. 

 

“Inuyasha… I love you…” she whispered, kissing him with a hunger that spoke a thousand words.  Her past loneliness had completely melted away, her heart open and tender.  She wanted no regrets, telling him of the love she had always felt but had always feared telling him. 

 

“You’re mine,” he whispered, kissing her hungrily.  “Kagome… You’re mine…”  He began to pick up the pace of his thrusts, causing Kagome to cry out, her body matching his thrusts easily. 

 

She felt her body build up, clenching around his cock as he continued to thrust inside of her.  Her nails dug into his shoulders, her voice feeling hoarse as she cried out his name.  She felt her body explode in waves of pleasure, tremors taking over every inch of her body.  She felt Inuyasha begin to thrust harder, hitting the barrier inside of her, feeling so good.  He came shortly after, collapsing on top of her. 

 

After letting his heartrate slow, he lifted his head to see Kagome’s eyes half open, her lips swollen and her face flushed.  He kissed her softly, slowly pulling himself out of her.  She whimpered, letting her legs fall from around his waist.  He rolled to the side, gathering her in his arms. 

 

“Oh Kagome… that was… amazing,” he whispered, kissing her hair.  She snuggled into his chest, inhaling his musky scent. 

 

“Mmm, it was,” she mumbled back, exhaustion taking over her body.  “Why do you say, ‘You’re mine’?  Yashiro says that a lot too,” she asked, snuggling closer to him.  He chuckled.

 

“Because in my eyes, nobody else can have you,” he mumbled, kissing her hair again.  His hands idly traced her arm and her lower back, causing shivers to run up her spine.  “You need to get some sleep,” he told her.  “You’re barely able to keep your eyes open.”

 

She didn’t need to be told twice.  A moment later she felt her eyes grow droopy, and she fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

 

Inuyasha just watched her sleep, watching her slow breathing and a small smile touching her lips.  The moment was bittersweet, and he was enjoying every second with her.

 

 

-*-*-

 

Roku ran into the hospital room to find Yashiro staring out the window as the nurse tended to his bandages.  The nurse was tall, only a few inches shorter than Roku.  She had her hair in a low pony tail and had an athletic body, wearing a hot pink set of scrubs with white tennis shoes.  He couldn’t help but notice how nice her ass looked in the scrubs, usually not having a thing for nurses.  When she turned to look at him, she had hot pink eye liner on her eyes, giving him a shy smile.  Her eyes were large pool of chocolate, with an intensity he couldn’t easily ignore.  He was entranced by her, never feeling his heart skip a beat when speaking to a woman.  He looked at her nametag and saw that it read the name “Sana.”

 

“Can I help you?” she asked, her eyes wide.  Roku just realized he had been staring.

 

“I’m really sorry, this is my friend, he just called me and told me he’s here,” Roku explained, unable to stop staring at the nurse in front of him.

 

“Oh, I’m nearly done changing his bandages, but you’re welcome to take a seat,” Sana stated.  Roku sat down, getting a clear view of Yashiro, who looked incredibly depressed.

 

She finished up quickly, leaving the room in a hurry.  Roku stared after her, feeling himself smile.

 

“Wow, you didn’t hit on her,” Yashiro said in a bored tone.  “The Roku I know would have made a comment about her fortune and asked for her number.”

 

Roku shot him a dirty look.  “How’s the gunshot?  Was it worth it?  Does it fucking hurt?”

 

Yashiro gave him a dark look.  “What do you fucking think?”

 

Roku and Yashiro both began to laugh.  Their banter was always the same, no matter what the circumstances, or so it felt.  “That nurse just threw me off guard, is all.  If she comes back I plan on putting the moves on her,” Roku assured him, stretching his legs out in front of him.

 

“Yeah, I figured that was the case,” Yashiro said, laying back on the pillows.  “I can’t wait to go home.”

 

“So you saved the day, huh?  Kagome’s safe?”

 

Yashiro’s face turned downcast, looking out the window.  “Yeah, she was in pretty rough shape when we found her though.  She had passed out from a noose, and she was whipped so she has a lash on her back.”

 

Roku’s eyebrows furrowed.  “Akane was behind all of that?”

 

“No, my brother was.  I reported him to the police and turned over the confession that I recorded to the police.  Kagome gave a statement as well, or so the police officer told me this morning.  They think they have enough to convict him.”

 

Roku nodded.  “Yeah, Akane was behind getting Kagome fired from her job, and was following her around her job interviews to ensure that she wouldn’t be able to get hired.  She threatened everyone if they tried to hire her.  I reported her to the police for stalking.  Kagome should be able to get a job again soon.”

 

Yashiro’s eyes went up in surprise at that.  “I didn’t know that Akane had been stalking her that long.”

 

“Kagome knew, Sachiko had warned her a while ago, but they agreed not to tell you because you’ve become so unpredictable.  Everyone but you knew, and if you had been paying attention, you would have seen this coming.  You’ve lost your edge, Hiro.” 

 

Yashiro gave him a dark look.  “Apparently my mother drugged her,” he told Roku.

 

Roku nodded.  “Akane paid her really well.  I saw your mother this morning, she was high out of her mind.  Passed out in an alley.  I don’t know how much longer she can survive this lifestyle.  You’re lucky that you didn’t inherit her addictive personality.”

 

Yashiro sighed.  “I can forgive everything she did to me, but the fact that she sold Kagome for some drugs… that’s unforgivable.”

 

“Hiro, what she did to you was unforgivable.  Nobody should sell their child.  It shouldn’t surprise you that she sold Kagome considering what terrible things she did to you.  You need to cut her out of your life,” Roku told him, leaning forward in the chair. 

 

“It’s not that simple,” Yashiro stated.  “I’ve all she’s got left.”

 

“And she sold you and your girlfriend for drugs.  Yashiro, she’s not worth saving.”

 

“Did you come here to preach at me?  Because I’m really not in the fucking mood.  My girlfriend is fucking another guy right now.”

 

Roku’s eyes went wide.  “I forgot that Inuyasha was still here.”

 

“Yeah, so I can’t go home until he’s gone, and Kagome’s probably going to keep pining after him.”

 

“I don’t think so,” Roku told him.  “She’s getting closure.  And I think this whole ordeal showed how you two truly care for her.  She agreed to marry you now, right?  She’s probably realizing that this will be the last time, and she’s going to get rid of all of her regrets and move on.  Sometimes closure is really needed, and I think for Kagome, she’ll be sad for a little while, but she’s looking forward to the life she’s going to have with you.  She wouldn’t call herself your fiance if she didn’t feel that way.”

 

Yashiro thought about it, refusing to look at Roku.  “But she’s still in his arms, and it pisses me off.”

 

“Yeah, it’d piss me off too, just as it probably pissed off Inuyasha to learn that the woman he loved had given her virginity to a man that looked just like him.”

 

“Kagome had decided to be with me,” Yashiro stated. 

 

“But you brought him here to save her.  This is the consequence.  Kagome is safe and for one day, she’s going to love another man.  The alternative is that she would have never seen him again, or you.  You got a pretty damn good deal.”

 

“Yeah, I guess,” Yashiro said defeated. 

 

“I’m going to head out, I’m seriously glad you’re okay.  If you get released before Inuyasha leaves, you can crash with me.  Okay?”

 

“I’ll be here for another couple days, so no worries.  But thanks.”

 

Roku gave him a firm handshake, walking out of the hospital room.  He saw the cute nurse at the nurses station, winking at her as he got into the elevator.

 

“I wonder if Yashiro will forgive her…”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Yashiro... I feel so bad for him. It'll get better, I promise!


	28. Remembering

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kagome and Inuyasha spend the day together, Yashiro finally remembers his past life.

Kagome was encompassed in satisfying warmth, with steady breathing touching her ears.  She opened her eyes to be met with silver hair and the sleeping face of Inuyasha.  His arms were tightly wrapped around her, his face at complete peace.  She snuggled closer to him, remembering the night, or day, before.  She saw that it was night, and when she looked over at the clock by the bed, she saw it was two in the morning.  She had slept all day and most of the night.  She had wasted so many of her precious hours with Inuyasha asleep in his arms.

 

She silently cursed herself.  However, seeing him sleeping next to her gave her comfort.  They were both exhausted from the activities of the last few days.  She stretched her neck, which was still tender from bruising, and placed a gentle kiss on his lips.  She heard him groan, encouraging her to kiss him again.

 

She could hear a low growl emit from his chest, causing her to smile as she pressed her lips firmly against his, her arms reaching around his neck.  He pulled her flush to him, his hand moving over the curve of her hip. 

 

He kissed her back, his tongue darting out to taste her once more, causing a sigh to escape her lips.  She slow rolled him onto his back, following him so she was laying on top of him.  She swung her leg around him so she was straddling him, sitting up as she grinded against his cock.  She felt him grow, causing a blush to touch her cheeks.  His hands were firmly grasping her hips, rubbing them as if to sooth her. 

 

“Kagome…” he whispered, his hand moving up to move her hair out of her face.  She took his hand and kissed his palm. 

 

“Inuyasha…” she whispered, a tear springing free from her eye.  His thumb wiped away the tear, which caused a sob to escape her lips.  He sat up, moving to kiss away her tears.  She moved her lips to brush against his, her arms moving to wrap around his neck. 

 

“Why are you crying?” he whispered against her lips.  “I can’t stand to see you cry.”

 

She let out a sniffle, kissing him again.  There was such tenderness in his voice, in his touch.  He was so gentle, his kisses feather light across her cheeks, wiping away the salty tears.  His body was flush to hers, his body so warm.  She didn’t want the moment to end, but she knew that Inuyasha would be leaving her soon, causing the tears to refuse to stop. 

 

“I don’t want this moment to end,” she sobbed, her voice cracking from being unable to hold back the tears any longer. 

 

“I know,” he whispered, kissing her.  His fingers were tangled in her hair, her scent was completely surrounding him.  Right now he could smell the salt of her tears, the sweat on her skin, her prior arousal.  The room smelled of sex between the two of them, the sheets were damp from their earlier lovemaking, and the moon was high in the sky.  He wished he could have made love to her under the stars, in the open air of the forest, not in this cramped apartment.

 

“I’m so afraid of losing you again,” she cried softly, kissing him frantically.  He kissed her back, his hand moving down to the small of her back, his hand flush to her flesh. 

 

“You’re not going to lose me, Kagome,” he whispered.  “I’m going to find you in my next life, and we’re going to live life to the fullest.”

 

Her eyes grew wide when she looked at him.  “What?”

 

“My soul is bound to yours, it always has been.  Kikyo and I were bound together and you found a way back to me, and now, it’s my turn to find my way to you.  My soul will find its way through hell to be with you again.  I can rest easy because I know we find each other again, and I know that I’ll make you happy.  So no more tears,” he told her, kissing her once more.  His kiss lingered, feeling her tears fall.  “We’ll always be together Kagome, forever.  You found me in this life, and he’s going to make you so happy, Kagome.  He’s going to continue to fight for you, and love you, and care for you in ways I never could.  I know it’ll be hard, but I’m always going to be with you.”

 

“You’re not him though,” she sobbed.  “You’re both so different…”

 

“We both love you, and that’s all that really matters,” he whispered against her lips, pulling her to him for a deepened kiss.  Their lips refused to part, hunger in both of them.  He felt her hand reach down to his erect cock and stroke it, causing him to let out a surprised gasp.  Her hands were so small compared to him, and when she squeezed he couldn’t help but let out another moan.  He felt her maneuver her hips so that he was at her entrance.  She slid down slowly, taking him in inch by inch, their lips never parting. 

 

She began to slowly ride him, her arms tightly around his neck, her lips hungrily capturing his.  His arms were around her waist, holding her close to him, enjoying the sensation of having so much of her.  He felt her tighten around him, causing him to catch his breath.  He encouraged her to continue to rock on him, enjoying the sensation of her.  She was slick and incredibly tight, causing him to bite back his own orgasm.  He had never felt anything so ambient before, her body his temple that no matter what, he couldn’t worship enough.  She was the sun and he was the moon, dancing together through the sky as they reached new heights.

 

He felt her clench around him as her body shuddered, moaning into his mouth.  He came shortly thereafter, their bodies wet with sweat as she lifted herself off of him, their lips finally breaking the kiss. 

 

“I love you Inuyasha,” she whispered, falling onto the bed.  He laid next to her, holding himself up with his hand, gazing down at her.  His other hand reached out to move her bangs out of her face.

 

“And I love you, Kagome,” he whispered back.  She smiled.

 

“Why couldn’t we ever say it back then?” she asked him, her eyes getting droopy again.  He smiled, letting out a small laugh as his claws traced the line of her jaw.

 

“Because we were scared. We were immature.  We hadn’t truly lost each other,” he reasoned.  “We thought we had all the time in the world, when really we had no time at all.  That year flew by.”

 

She smiled, her hand reaching to cup his face.  He leaned into her hand, his hand covering hers. 

 

The moment was bittersweet.  It was slowly breaking her heart over and over again, being with Inuyasha like this.  It felt like a dream, but she knew she had to wake up from it sometime soon. 

 

“You have to go back tonight, don’t you?” she whispered, seeing that the sun was rising in the window.  This was the last time she would see her hanyou in the sun.  She felt her eyes well up with tears once more. 

 

He averted his gaze, seeing the sun rising through the window.  “Tonight, at sunset.  I came here shortly after sunset.  I’ll have to go back to the well.”

 

She nodded, curling into his chest, her arms wrapping around him.  He moved to wrap his arms around her as well, listening to her steady breathing. 

 

It would have to be enough.

 

-*-*-*-

 

Roku sat in his fortune telling stand in Little Edo, telling the fortune of a young woman before him.  She was pretty enough, and if he had been feeling normal, he would have told her his normal fortune along with a wink, offering his phone number to the young woman.  However, ever since he had seen the nurse tending to Yashiro, he had been unable to concentrate. 

 

The pretty nurse had been on his mind nonstop.  He had seen her only one day ago, but her chocolate eyes and sweet perfume of cherry blossoms was burned into his mind.  She had entranced him more than any other woman had before, and he wondered if she was the woman from his past life that he had been looking for.  She certainly looked like Sango, her voice even sounded as he thought it would sound.  She sounded like an angel, and working as a nurse… He thought of so many things he could do with a nurse. 

 

He tried to focus on the fortune in front of him, giving her a pleasant smile.  “Your life line is long, you’ll live a very healthy life if you continue with your current regime.  You also appear to have a strong intelligence line, you’ll find luck in business…”

 

He continued his fortune, causing the young girl to giggle.  She paid him shortly thereafter and left, bowing low to him.  He admired the pretty young girl as she left, noticing the sway in her hips.  He probably could have gotten lucky with her if he had pursued it, but the nurse wouldn’t escape his mind. 

 

He closed the shop, wearing his fortune teller attire through the streets of little Edo, deciding to visit Yashiro once more.  Maybe the nurse would still be there, maybe he could convince her to speak to him, and maybe, just maybe, he would be able to stop the heavy beating of heart thinking about this woman. 

 

He arrived at the hospital shortly after, marching to Yashiro’s room.  He got strange looks, dressed in the traditional robes of a Shinto priest, but he didn’t care at this point.  He saw that Yashiro was in a fitful sleep, obviously not having pleasant dreams.

 

“Yashiro, wake up!” Roku snapped, shaking his friends shoulder.  Yashiro’s eyes opened slowly, giving him a dark look.

 

“Roku, what the fuck?” Yashiro asked, sitting upright.  “Can I rest in peace?  I’m fucking exhausted.”

 

“Where’s your nurse?” Roku asked.  Yashiro let out a long sigh.

 

“I don’t fucking know, why?  Don’t you get enough tail?” Yashiro spat.

 

“I think she’s from my past life,” Roku hissed.  He didn’t want to sound crazy, but Yashiro rolled his eyes. 

 

“I don’t know if she’s here, I don’t even know what time it is,” Yashiro stated.  He looked out the window and sighed.

 

“It’s about four in the afternoon,” Roku stated, looking at his watch.  Yashiro sighed again.

 

“Inuyasha goes back tonight,” he stated, his voice emotionless.  “Do you think Kagome will be alright?”

 

Roku felt himself grow ashamed, remembering the predicament his friend was in.  “Yashiro… do you want to remember your past life?”

 

Yashiro looked at his friend, his eyes full of sadness.  “Why would I want to remember?”

 

“So you can better understand Kagome.  So you can see the adventures she went on with Inuyasha that made her fall in love with him.  To find out who Kagome was in her past life.  To better understand yourself.  Learning about my past life gave me a purpose.  Don’t you want more purpose in your life?”

 

Yashiro looked away, back out the window.  “What if I remember what Kagome and Inuyasha are doing right now?  I know that he’s got his hands on her, I know that she’s fucking him.  I’d be a fool to think otherwise.  I don’t’ know if I want those memories in my mind,” he stated. 

 

“I can’t say I blame you…” Roku trailed off, seeing the nurse walk by Yashiro’s room.  He wanted to chase after her, but he didn’t want to be creepy.  He hoped that she’d stop by his room soon. 

 

“I need to focus on Kagome’s happiness now, and I think that leaving that part of her life private is the way to do it.  I’m not Inuyasha, I never will be, even if we look a lot alike, even if I am his reincarnation, I’m not him.  Kagome needs to realize that.  She needs to move on!” he yelled the last sentence, hitting his hand hard on the bed.  “Why can’t she just be in love with me, Roku?”

 

Roku had never seen his friend near tears before, but Yashiro was wearing his emotions on his sleeve right now.  His face was hurt, his emotions on high alert.  Roku sat down next to his friend, pushing him back into the pillows.  He saw that his friend was on morphine, which likely explained the increase in emotions.  “Because the heart is a fickle thing.  You’ve never been in love before, she has.  Your first love always leaves a mark.  If you and Kagome split up, you’d always have a soft spot for Kagome, it’s just how it is.”

 

Yashiro turned his face away, letting out a sniffle.  “I want to remember, Roku.  How do I remember my past life?  I want to see what Inuyasha went through to make Kagome so enamored with him.”

 

Roku smiled, “We’ll start with some meditation.”

Yashiro stared at Roku, nodding.  He put his hands on his thighs and began the deep breathing of meditation. 

 

“I want you to feel complete relaxation,” Roku stated.  “I want you to envision white light completely encompassing your soul, letting in all the good energy and dispelling negative energy.”

 

Yashiro’s breathing become more regulated, slowly breathing.  Roku watched his friend intently, wishing he could burn sage in the room. 

 

“I want you to envision a long hallway, visualizing each step that you’re taking.  Visualize each step, every movement, until you get to the end of the hallway.  There should be a door.”

 

After a few minutes, Yashiro’s breathing became nearly nonexistent.  His breathing was so incredibly slow, his body completely relaxed, deep in meditation.

 

“Open the door, Yashiro,” Roku told him.  Yashiro’s right hand clenched the blankets beneath a moment later, his breathing becoming rapid. 

 

In Yashiro’s mind, he saw a young miko with her hair tied back, wisps of hair on either side of her face tied into her ponytail.  She was petit, with porcelain skin, and kind eyes.  She was sitting in the sunset, smiling at him.

 

“Come back tomorrow, I have something for you,” she said to him.  He felt himself nod, and a moment later it was daylight, the miko in front of him once more, holding a shell with rouge in it given to her by him. 

 

“I’m sorry, I must have forgotten it,” she said when she reached into her sleeves.  Suddenly he was transported to a boat, pushing the miko on the river.  She tripped when she got out, falling into him.  He grabbed her in an embrace, smelling her sweet scent of lavender. 

 

“I’ll become a human, for you,” he heard himself say.  A moment later the miko’s lips were touching his. 

 

Yashiro wanted it to stop, but he couldn’t stop the memories from flooding into his mind.  They were all on the surface.  He felt searing pain in his left shoulder as the arrow struck its mark, pinning him to a tree.  Next he saw a young Kagome wearing a school uniform, screaming for help. 

 

Roku watched as Yashiro’s body began to convulse, blood running from his nose.

 

“Yashiro! Wake up!  You’ve got to snap out of it!” Roku half yelled, shaking his friend, but Yashiro was involved too deeply.  The memories wouldn’t stop flooding back. 

 

He saw so many memories of Kagome, of her laughing, of her angry, of her tears.  He saw Miroku and Sango, and even little Shippo.  He saw his mother playing a koto, dressed in the traditional twelve robes of a nobel woman.  He saw Sesshoumaru threaten him and Kagome, cutting his arm off.  He saw Naraku try to kill them multiple times.

 

Yashiro began to see life after Naraku, Kagome crying when she was lost in the darkness of the jewel.  The kiss she shared, how his heart filled with warmth when he remembered her virgin lips against his.  How she had cried when she saw her family, how empty he felt when he was in the forest once more.  How lonely he had felt for the years without Kagome by his side.

 

 

He saw the time that Inuyasha spent with Kagome in the modern world, Kagome’s naked body against his, her tears unstoppable.  He saw her crying by the well as he slowly disappeared back to the forest, where he lived a long time alone.  Memories of him watching Miroku and Sango age, their children marrying, Shippo dying in battle.  He saw Miroku’s children age, their children marrying.  How long did Inuyasha live after he went back to the feudal age?

 

Then he saw a reflection, Inuyasha, still looking young, an ancient Miroku laying on a futon, struggling to breath.  Miroku’s many children and grandchildren surrounding them, Inuyasha pulling out a knife…

 

Yashiro’s eyes went wide, the once sapphire pools were now speckled with amber.  His breathing was rough, gasping for air.  Blood was rushing out of his nose and his head was dizzy. 

 

_I’ll find her in my next life._

 

This was his next life.  He had found Kagome again, and he felt like a bastard for being jealous.  His soul was one with Inuyasha’s, and he had denied Kagome true permission to love that soul.  He had made her feel guilty all this time for loving a man that was truly him.  He loved Kagome with every fiber of his being, and he had denied her the ability to cry in front of him because of his petty jealousy. 

 

He felt tears run down his face.  He had found her.  After so many decades of loneliness, he had finally found Kagome again.  He looked out the window, it was nearing sunset.  Inuyasha would be returning to the well shortly.  He knew he had to be there. 

 

Yashiro ripped the IV’s out of his arm, causing the machines to go berserk.

 

“Yashiro, what are you doing?!” Roku yelled, the pretty nurse running in.

 

“Mr. Nagasaki, you need to get back into bed!” she yelled, trying to push him back into the bed.  He shoved her out of the way with strength he didn’t know he possessed. 

 

“I have to go to her, I have to go to the shrine, now,” he said through a strained voice, the pain in his side from the gunshot nearly paralyzing him.  “She’s going to be alone and scared when he disappears, and I can’t let that happen.  She has to know I’m here now.”

 

“Yashiro, your nose is bleeding and you’re very obviously in pain, you can wait until tomorrow!” Roku tried to reason, restraining his friend. 

  
  
Yashiro punched Roku in the stomach, causing him to double over.  Yashiro was wearing nothing but a hospital gown and grey sweat pants, going to the drawer where his clothes were. 

 

“I’m getting security!” the nurse said, running out of the room.  Roku ran after her, hoping to aid her. 

 

Yashiro changed his clothes as quickly as he could, wearing a red tshirt and his faded jeans.  Putting his clothes on was painful as is, his body still sore and stiff from the surgery, his mind groggy from the medication still in his system.  He looked outside and saw that the sun was nearly set, knowing that Inuyasha would be going back soon.  He had to be there when Inuyasha was gone, Kagome needed him.

 

Thinking of Kagome gave him the strength he needed to walk out of the hospital room, sneaking around to avoid the security by taking the stairs.  He made it out of the hospital and tracked down a cab, asking to go to the Higurashi shrine. 

 

It began to rain as they drove, arriving well after sunset.  He climbed the stairs to the shrine slowly, making it to the sacred tree.  He stood underneath the branches, staring at the large trunk.  He realized that he had always felt at peace when he was under this tree, or any sacred tree for that matter.  But this tree held so much more significance.  He could see Kagome’s face in the leaves, he could smell the forest in this one tree.  He inhaled deeply, memorizing this moment. 

 

He knew Kagome was saying her final goodbye to Inuyasha now, and he would wait.  He wanted Kagome to know that he was sorry for everything, that he was here now, and that his heart forever belonged to her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Probably two more chapters of this story ;-; I so loved writing this story! It was so much fun to write! I'm glad that everyone leaves such wonderful comments as well.
> 
> Seriously best readers ever. 
> 
> Hope you enjoyed this chapter!


	29. Return to Where We First Met

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Inuyasha goes back to the feudal era.

Kagome and Inuyasha had spent the day in each other’s arms, both avoiding the topic of him leaving and refusing to speak Yashiro’s name.  They tried not to talk, only showing each other the love they shared through touch and heated sighs.  Kagome’s body was still bruised and sore from the encounter with Kito, Inuyasha tracing the bruising on her neck from the noose.  Her voice was still a little hoarse and the lash on her back had turned a deep red and was raw.  She hated that Inuyasha had to see her body so beaten down and broken like it was, but his touch was so gentle, causing her to forget that the claws that traced her flesh could easily rip her apart.

 

She found that he loved his ears to be rubbed, that he was ticklish under his jaw, and that whenever they kissed, his heart would beat faster.  She could feel the strong sound of his heart every time they kissed, and when they made love, she knew that his heart was hers alone. 

 

His silver hair would cascade around them in a shroud, tickling her flesh as he moved across her body.  He kissed every inch of her flesh, willing her to be healed, desiring her more with each feather-light touch.  Kagome had assumed that he would be clumsy in his lovemaking, but he wasn’t.  He was infinitely gentle, taking his time and moving across her body like a work of art, memorizing every detail with his lips and his hands.  If she had known any better, she’d think that he was experienced in what he was doing, but he had confessed that their time together was the only time in his life that he had been intimate with any creature. 

 

When he kissed her, there was always a hunger for more, but he always kept it in check, treating her like a delicate piece of jade, guarding it from his inner demon who wanted to take her for himself.  His love for her was evident in the way that he held her, all of his heart pouring into her as he would kiss her.  There was so much raw emotion that she couldn’t help but cry when they kissed, and the closer to sunset it got, the more emotional she became.  The last hour of daylight was spent with her holding him, silent tears falling as he kissed her hair, comforting her, assuring her that they would be together again.

 

He knew that Yashiro was his reincarnation, which gave him comfort.  He knew that in his next life, he would be with Kagome again, he would hold her like this every night and comfort her in the years to come.  He hated that he couldn’t have her in this life, but knowing that Kagome had found happiness was enough for him.  Kagome’s happiness came first, and knowing that she had found love, even if it wasn’t directly him, was still enough.  

 

When the sun was nearly set, Inuyasha dressed himself, watching Kagome slowly put on her own clothes.  She wore dark jeans and a oversized sweater, wrapping a scarf around her neck to hide the bruising from the noose.  Her lips were swollen from their lovemaking all day, but her eyes were downcast.  He moved to tuck her hair behind her ear, letting his hand linger on her face.  She leaned into his hand, closing her eyes and inhaling his scent deeply. 

 

“This time flew by so fast,” she whispered, giving him a soft smile.  He chuckled, kissing her forehead.

 

“It always does,” he replied.  “Come on, let’s go.” 

 

They went to the balcony, Kagome climbing on his back.  He set off into the cool night air, hopping from building to building, making it to the shrine in record time.  They went to the building where the bone eaters well was, holding each other’s hands tightly.  They walked in, nothing seeming out of the ordinary.  She saw the inau on the ground, untouched in the last three days.  Kagome picked it up idly, feeling the aged wood in her hands.  Inuyasha wrapped his arms around Kagome’s waist, breathing in her scent deeply.  Her hair filled his nostrils, memorizing her scent for the hundredth time.  He knew his time left was short, that he would disappear in a moment, so he wanted this last few moments just holding her, never being able to get enough of her.  

 

Kagome dropped the inau and turned, wrapping her arms tightly around him, burying her face in his chest.  She felt the tears rise up again, salting his robe once more.  She was so tired of crying, but she couldn’t help it.  She knew that once he was gone, there would be a void in her heart once again, unable to be filled by anything but the half-demon before her.  

 

He absent-mindedly pet her hair, tucking her head under his chin.  He looked at his hand and saw that it was transparent, realizing that his return to the feudal age was beginning.  He squeezed her tighter, knowing that this would be the last time he would ever get to hold her in this life.  He inhaled deeply, her natural perfume filling his senses.  He was trying to memorize everything about her in the last moments he held her, wishing against all hopes and all stars that this time could be prolonged, but knowing that his wish could not be granted.

 

He pulled her back and saw that her eyes grew wide seeing him.  His ears were transparent, he was slowly disappearing before her.

 

He pulled her into their final kiss, letting his hunger for her show one last time.  He pulled her as close to him as he could, feeling their bodies flush against one another.  His hand held her head in place as his tongue wrestled with hers, tasting her for one last time. His heart was beating loudly, giving her comfort.  Her heart pounded in her ears, the silence deafening, the only noise was the beating of their hearts.  The kiss broke, but their lips were barely parted, their foreheads touching as she watched him slowly fade away.  She began to grow frantic, her breathing becoming shallow, but she heard him begin to speak.

 

“I love you Kagome, I always will, in this life and in my next life,” he whispered against her lips.  “Be happy.”

 

“Inuyasha!” she cried, her fingers digging into his now transparent chest.  “Please!  Don’t leave me here alone!”

 

“You’ll never be alone again, I promise,” he whispered, his voice fading out.  He was completely transparent now, his body no longer solid.  He stood before her almost as a ghost, Kagome’s tears falling freely now.  

 

“Inuyasha!” she screamed as the last of him disappeared forever.

 

Kagome fell to her knees, choked sobs escaping her throat.  She buried her face in her hands, curling up on the dirt floor next to the well, her body shaking uncontrollably as the cries raked over her fragile frame.  

 

She was unable to get up, her body so weak from her crying.  She wailed at the top of her lungs, wishing that she had had more time with him.  The first of the three days was stolen, and the last two days were so short lived.  She wanted to spend so much more time with him, to get to know him better than she did.  She knew that living in the past was dangerous, but she couldn’t help it.  She wanted her hanyou, she wanted to love him as he loved her, and she wanted to spend the rest of her life with him.

 

In her mind, she couldn’t join the memories of Yashiro and Inuyasha.  She had almost completely forgotten about Yashiro, the man she had promised to marry.  The thought of Yashiro caused her heart to sink, he had made it clear that he wanted her to move on, but now she felt more heart broken than ever before.  She felt like there was a hole in her chest, an endless void where her heart should be, that could only be filled by Inuyasha.

 

Inuyasha had told her he would find her in his next life, and that they would be happy.  She didn’t know if she could be happy with Yashiro.  He had so many secrets that had slowly been getting revealed, she didn’t know if she could take his constant hiding of his past.  She loved him, yes, but could she love him for the rest of her life as promised?

 

More tears fell from her eyes, not knowing what to do.  

 

She felt like she had laid on the ground for hours, and she could hear the gentle pitter patter of rain on the ground outside.  She heard rolling thunder, the rain coming down in sheets.  It felt appropriate, for her heart felt like it couldn’t handle any more pain.  Her heart physically hurt from the heartbreak, and she didn’t know how she was going to move on, pretending that she hadn’t loved Inuyasha.

 

She stood on her legs, shaky from her emotions.  Her entire body felt cold, her mind drained.  She was hoping to sit in her bath and she hoped that her sorrows would be washed away with the bath water.  She hoped that her loneliness would finally go away, and most of all, she hoped that she could move on from losing Inuyasha.

 

She walked up the steps slowly, hearing the rain pouring down.  She took a deep breath, letting the air exit her lungs slowly.  She needed to stop crying.  Crying wasn’t going to do anything for her, and she realized that when she saw Yashiro tomorrow, he would be expecting her to be back to normal.  He had been clear that he didn’t want her pining over Inuyasha anymore.

 

_Inuyasha…_

 

She let out a choked sob, wrapping her arms tightly around herself, her head bowed.  Just moments before he had his lips pressed against hers, and she’d never have that delectable sensation ever again.  

 

“Get it together, girl,” she whispered to herself.  She took a deep breath and opened the door to the building, looking out into the rain.  She didn’t care if she got soaked, it felt appropriate for what had just happened.  She walked slowly towards the house, only to stop herself.  She didn’t want to see her family right now.  How could she explain what just happened?  How could she explain the bruising on her neck and her body without them worrying?

 

She stood in the rain for a long time, her tears blending with the droplets pounding on her head.  The rain was cold, feeling icy on her now chilled skin.  She walked over to the sacred tree, knowing that sitting under the large branches would give her peace.  She always felt a sense of peace under the sacred tree.

 

When she approached the tree, she saw the outline of a person.  She stopped, staring at the person before her.  He was wearing a red shirt and blue jeans, his hair was down and wet, sticking to him.  He was drenched, just as she was.  She saw his hair reached his waist, with two long wisps around his face. His face was pale, and his eyes, which she remembered being a deep sapphire, now had speckles of amber in them.  

 

“Yashiro…” she gasped, running to him.  He ran to her too, their bodies colliding in the pouring rain.  He wrapped his arms tightly around her, feeling her sob into his chest.   She heard him let out a sob too as he buried his face in the crook of her neck.

 

“I promised you I’d never let you be alone again,” he whispered in her ear.  “I’m here.”

 

She clenched his wet shirt, the rain pouring down around them.  The icy rain pelted them, soaking them to their bones. 

 

“Yashiro,” she whispered, inhaling his scent.  All she could smell was Inuyasha, causing her heart to break all over again.  

 

“Kagome… I remember everything from Inuyasha’s life,” he whispered to her.  “I’m sorry I acted the way I did…”

 

She pulled back to look him in the face, seeing his now amber and blue eyes.  He moved his hand to wipe the hair out of her face, seeing that her eyes were puffy from crying.  The rain continued to pour as he tangled his fingers in her hair, pulling her mouth to his in a hungry kiss.  In that kiss, Kagome felt all the loneliness that Inuyasha must have felt after they were separated, and while it was only moments before that she had seen Inuyasha, she felt years of loneliness melt away from Yashiro.  She felt her heart warm, pulling him close to her as she deepened the kiss, tasting only Inuyasha.

 

The kiss broke, both of them gasping for air upon their lips parting.  He pulled her into an embrace again, holding her as tight as he could, as if he were going to lose her.  He didn’t want to be apart from her ever again as long as he lived.  The aching loneliness that Inuyasha felt in the decades he lived after parting from Kagome weighed heavy on him, making him realizing just how much he valued Kagome being with him now.  He wasn’t going to let her go, not now, not ever. 

 

Kagome clung to him, tears streaming down her face.  She could hear the steady beat of his heart, a constant in her life.  His heart sounded just like Inuyasha’s. 

 

“Yashiro!” a voice called in the distance.  Kagome and Yashiro were wrapped tightly around each other when they looked up to see Roku rushing towards them with an umbrella.  The nurse who had been tending Yashiro was close behind wrapped in a raincoat. 

 

“Roku, what are you doing here?” Yashiro asked, refusing to loosen his grip on Kagome.

 

“You need to go back to the hospital, you’ll catch your death here!” the nurse called out.  Yashiro had hardly noticed the pain he was in.  Kagome pulled away and saw that his shirt was soaked with blood.  

 

“Yashiro, you’re bleeding!” Kagome cried, lifting his shirt to see that his bandages were completely soiled.  Roku moved the umbrella so that it covered Yashiro and Kagome, giving them relief from the rain.  Kagome put her hand to his forehead.  “You have a fever too!”

 

Roku looked at Kagome.  “Your face is awfully red Kagome, I think you may be getting a fever too.  I’ll take Yashiro back to the hospital, you go home.” 

 

“I’m going with you,” Kagome stated firmly, the nurse sighing in defeat.  They walked Yashiro slowly down the steps, his face ashen with pain.  The adrenaline that got him to the shrine and helped him reunite with Kagome was now gone, leaving his body aching in incredible pain.  

 

They helped him down the shrine steps to see an ambulance waiting for them.  Kagome and Roku helped lift him into the ambulance, where he passed out the moment he laid down on the stretcher.  Kagome rode in the ambulance with him to the hospital, the nurse riding with Roku back.  They opened his bandages and his wound had reopened, ripping his stitches.  He was going to have to have them all redone, extending his recovery time. 

 

Several hours later, Kagome was asleep next to Yashiro in the chair in the hospital room.  The nurse had given her a set of dry clothes to wear for the time being, using Yashiro’s shower to warm up again.  She was curled up under a blanket, her breathing slow and steady.

 

Yashiro, however, was wide awake, watching Kagome.  He had a small smile on his face, watching her sleep so peacefully.  He had new stitches and massive amounts of painkillers.  He no longer had a fever, and he was in a dry hospital gown.  His hair had been blown dry by Kagome earlier in the evening, who had braided his hair to keep it out of his face. 

 

He told Kagome everything.  It may have been, in part, the medication, but he was tired having hidden secrets from her.  He told her his entire life story, of how his mother sold him for drugs, how he hopped from foster home to foster home, how he was an escort, how he worked in the adult film industry, how he thought he got Kito’s wife pregnant, how he found out Kito was his brother, the awful things Kito and him did to each other--- everything.  He laid everything out on the table for her to ponder, hoping that she would take his offering of honesty.

 

He also told her of how he was able to reclaim Inuyasha’s memories.  He told her of Inuyasha’s life, the life she hadn’t known about him.  About how Miroku and Sango had six children before Sango tragically died in childbirth.  How Miroku would pray at Sango’s grave every day with his children and how he lived to a ripe old age, never remarrying.  Miroku and Inuyasha were very close, and when Miroku was on death’s door, Inuyasha had committed suicide.  Hearing that, Kagome wept all over again, unable to hold back her tears.

 

Inuyasha didn’t want to be alone anymore.  He wasn’t close with Miroku’s children, everyone he knew and loved had gone, he didn’t want to be alone anymore and suicide seemed the only way to avoid that.  Before he died though, he had left something at a shrine for Kagome to find, a letter.  Yashiro promised he would search for it when he was out of the hospital, Kagome agreeing.

 

“So, why did you decide to take Inuyasha’s memories back?” Kagome had asked him while she had braided his hair.  He thought long and hard about it.

 

“I wanted to know what kind of man he was so I could measure up.  I never felt like I could quite stand in his shadow, you know?”

 

Kagome had kissed him when he said that, reassuring him over and over that her feelings for him were genuine.

 

He watched her now in a fitful sleep.  A tear slipped from her eye as she slept, breaking his heart a little more.  He wasn’t jealous anymore.  If anything, he was relieved that he got to be with her again.  He had promised her that he wouldn’t hold her loving Inuyasha against her anymore.  He understood it now, more than ever.  His love for her when he was Inuyasha transferred when he regained his memories, and while he had loved her deeply on his own, there was an innocence to Inuyasha’s love that Yashiro hadn’t grasped. 

 

His mind was completely entranced by Kagome, and as he looked at her, he knew that he wanted to make her happy.  He wanted to spend the rest of his life figuring out what made her tick and what made her laugh  If he got in a fight, he wanted it only to be with Kagome, and he was done hiding secrets from her.

 

He laid back on the pillows, feeling his eyes grow droopy.  He smiled to himself, letting out a deep sigh.

 

“You got your wish Inuyasha, we’re with Kagome again.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It is done.
> 
> All that's left is the epilogue. 
> 
> I wanna cry! This story was so heart wrenching for me as much as it was for all of you! Thank you all so much for reading this story! I had so much fun writing it!
> 
> I've already got a new story idea in the works, I will probably start posting that in the next couple weeks so be on the look out for it! 
> 
> Lots of love to all of my fans!
> 
> xoxo
> 
> Leah


	30. Epilogue

Three years had passed since Kagome accepted Yashiro’s marriage proposal.  She looked at the wedding band on her finger, a small ring that was adorned with small diamonds, and she smiled to herself.  She had reservations marrying Yashiro at first, considering how jealous he had first acted when they were dating, but it had appeared that his entire demeanor had changed after Inuyasha had left.  He had Inuyasha’s memories now, meaning Kagome could talk openly about time in the feudal era and he would know what she was referencing.  His personality changed a bit too, making him more like Inuyasha than he had ever been before, causing Kagome to fall in love with him all over again.

 

Kagome thought about Yashiro’s mother, sighing in defeat.  A few weeks after the incident where Yashiro was shot, his mother’s body was found in Little Edo.  She had overdosed on heroin, and unfortunately, Yashiro had to identify the body.  They creamated her and performed a proper burial for her, Yashiro shedding many tears for her.  He knew that she had once had goodness in her heart, but Kagome was curious as to why he mourned the woman who sold him and her both.  She figured that no matter what, a child would always love his mother, even if she was cruel to him.  She vowed to never stray on the path that Akira did, and that if she were to suffer the fate that she did, she would be strong for her child. 

 

Kito was found guilty on all counts he was charged with and was serving an eighty year sentence in a maximum security prison.  All of his assets were frozen and his wife and child sold all of his belongings and went to live with her family.  The tabloids were insane, causing Kagome to have to stay with her family for a while after the incident with paparazzi following her for a story.  After a few weeks the stalking stopped, and Yashiro and Kagome were able to return back to normal lives. 

 

Her heart still ached for the hanyou from time to time, usually when she was alone, but Yashiro seemed to always know what to say or what to do when she would get depressed.  She was graduating from Tokyo University in a week with a major in History, Yashiro had one more year until he was done with his doctorate.  They had moved into a larger apartment into a nicer part of Tokyo, still close to the university of course.  However, Kagome wondered if they would have to move again considering the news she wanted to share with Yashiro this particular evening. 

 

She had made his favorite meal---sukiyaki--- and set the table just so.  She wore a nice sundress that she knew he liked, and her hair was swept up in a messy bun on top of her head.  He had always liked when her neck was exposed, just as he always liked when she left her face natural.  His likes and dislikes were like the sun---always predictable and ever constant.  He would always kiss her when he came home, and when they would make love, his kisses were still like hot brands on her skin.  He always knew where to touch her and what to do to her, making her always crawl back for more.

 

In the last three years, she had learned so much about Yashiro.  She had gotten to know his friends fairly well, just as he had gotten to know her family and friends.  They had been happily married for a year now, their wedding had been a traditional Japanese wedding.  She had worn a white kimono with a hood and he wore the traditional black, with a western style reception.  They spent their honeymoon traveling to different shrines around Northern Japan, looking for clues as to where Inuyasha’s remains were buried, but they had no such luck.

 

Kagome heard the door open to the apartment, seeing Yashiro walk in.  His hair was still in a high ponytail with the wisps of hair surrounding his face.  He was wearing his bulky black rimmed glasses and a tan suit, looking very much like a history professor.  He was thirty one now, Kagome being twenty three. 

 

“Welcome home!” she told him, giving him a light peck on the lips.  He pulled her close and kissed her longingly, causing her to stifle a giggle.  She felt like they were still newlyweds, much like how they were when they had started dating.  He was still affectionate, they were still hungry for each other like young lovers tend to be.  They had difficulty keeping their hands off each other, and no matter what, he always left her craving his touch all the more.

 

“Mmm, is that sukiyaki I smell?” he whispered into her neck, kissing it softly.  She let out a soft moan.

 

“It is,” she told him.  “Table’s set, so it should be ready in a few minutes.”

 

He let her go, watching her hips sway as she walked to the kitchen.  He took his shoes off and walked into the dining room, seeing the table was set perfectly.  

  
“Kagome, is there something going on?  You never set the table this nicely…”

 

Kagome giggled, coming back into the dining room with a hot pot of sukiyaki.  “I have some big news to tell you!”

 

“Oh?  What kind of news?” he asked, taking off his blazer and loosening his tie.  He put the blazer on the back of the chair and undid the top button of his shirt, letting out a sigh.

 

“You’re just going to have to wait until after dinner,” she told him, going back into the kitchen to get the rice.  He followed her and grabbed a beer from the fridge.  He offered her one, but she declined.

 

When they sat down to eat, he watched her with a smile on his face.  Kagome dished them up their meals and after a few minutes, she put her chopsticks down.

 

“Do you have to watch me like that?” she asked him.

 

“You look different,” he commented.  “I can’t put my finger on it.”

 

She blushed.  “Uh, well there is something different…”

 

“Oh?  What’s going on, Kagome?”

 

“Well… I went to the doctor today…”

 

His jaw dropped and his chopsticks fell out of his hands.  “And?”

 

“And… I’m twelve weeks pregnant!” she exclaimed, letting out a giggle.  He stood up and pulled her to her feet, swinging her around the room, letting out an excitable scream.  He pulled her into an embrace, kissing her on top of her hair, squeezing her tight. 

 

“That’s great,” he whispered in her hair.  “I’m so happy.”

 

She snuggled into him, inhaling his scent, being reminded of the forests of Japan.  “I’m glad you’re excited,” she whispered. 

 

“I have some more exciting news to add to that,” he muttered against her hair.  She pulled back and looked up at him.  “Roku proposed to Sana and they’re getting married.”

 

“That’s wonderful!  When are they getting married?”

 

“In six months, however they wanted you to be in the wedding but I don’t think you’ll fit in the dress…”

 

Kagome looked down at her flat stomach, wrinkling her nose.  “Yeah, I’m afraid none of my clothes are going to fit right before too long.”

 

He kissed her again, pulling her flush to him.  “That’s alright, I could get used to you having a little belly…”

 

“Oh, don’t say that!” she cried, playfully pushing him away, but he kept his arms firmly around her.

 

They laughed, Kagome snuggling into his arms.  “We’re going to be a family,” she whispered. 

 

“Yeah… it’s a little scary,” he whispered back. 

 

“But we’ll be great…” she whispered back.  She leaned up and kissed him again, knowing that their lives were different now. 

 

She wouldn’t have it any other way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry the epilogue took so long, I've been working on my newest murder-mystery with way too much smut as of late. I hope you enjoyed this story, it was a hard one to end, but it was a lot of fun to write. I loved all the comments and support for this story, and I hope that you had fun on this roller coaster ride with me :)
> 
> Lots of love everyone! Thank you for reading!
> 
> -Leah


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